Revised Curriculum
by TwiAddictAnne
Summary: Life of a high school teacher is never boring. At least that's what she thought until he came along. He made her question everything. A revision in the curriculum was in order. CharmingWard and TeacherElla. All Human. Rated for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Twilight Saga is awesome, but sadly, it's not mine. This plot, however, belongs solely to Anne Publishing House. :D**

 **A/N: What do you present the hot high school teacher who has both beauty and brains with? A fic with a TeacherElla seemed like a good idea. This is a birthday fic written for IpsitaC77. Apu, I know it's not your kind of fic, but it still hope you'll give it a try. Wish you a very happy birthday and endless love (like bottomless Pepsi, but a lot more pure). A special shout out to a certain Drama Queen who approved this one. ;)**

* * *

 **Revised Curriculum**

* * *

 **Chapter-1: Prologue**

* * *

A curriculum.

A syllabus.

A set of course to be followed.

Something akin to a routine.

That's how I lived my life.

That's how I liked my life.

Structured.

Controlled.

Perfectly outlined.

That's who I was.

Until a week ago …

Until _he_ came along.

And then I realized … living was not being alive.

He made me feel alive.

And then I knew that I was fucked.

* * *

 **A/N: So the future chapters will be longer. This is not a drabble or flash fic, but I'll try to be less wordy anyway. And the updating schedule for now is once a week which means Friday. Hopefully, I'll be able to get this moving faster so more frequent updates will be possible.**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Please share your thoughts with me and leave a review and don't forget to wish my sister from another mister a very happy birthday. It's gonna be a long birthday present, hopefully. ;)**

 **See you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	2. Chapter-2: Back Me Up, Paperback

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for late update. My internet has been going crazy since last night. But hopefully I'll be able to update now. *crosses fingers***

 **I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your lovely reviews. Thank you for the love you continue to show me, and welcome to another journey on crazy express with me. Hope you enjoy the ride. :)**

 **And IpsitaC77, Apu, here's the second installment of your present. Have fun. ;D**

* * *

 **Chapter-2: Back Me Up, Paperback**

* * *

"I can't believe he could do that."

"I know," I murmur.

"I mean we've been partners for like ever. How could he just do this, you know?"

"Uh-huh," I say with a nod, not really listening anymore.

Silence, and then …

"I think I'm gonna find me a unicorn to fuck. That should shoot rainbows from it's dick, right?"

 _That_ manages to infiltrate my bubble, and I look up from the book in my hands with a jolt. "Rainbow from a dick?" I ask, feeling my mouth hang open.

"So _that_ gets your attention," Leah Clearwater, my step-sister and unfortunately best friend, pipes up with a pout.

I try to put on an innocent face and say with a shrug, "I was paying attention."

"Really?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me. "Fine. Then tell me what I was saying." Just as I open my mouth, she adds, " _Before_ the rainbow dick part."

 _Damn it!_

"Umm ..." I think for a moment before saying, "Jacob?" My answer comes out sounding more like a question, but thankfully, Leah lets it slide as fat teardrops roll down her cheeks.

That gets my attention. Marking the page I'm at, I close the book and open my arms for my sister.

Once she's quietly sobbing on my shoulder, I ask, "Lee? What happened?"

Unlike the rambling train she has acted like since the moment she walked through the door, she sniffles and answers me in an almost inaudible voice. "Jake got promoted last week."

"That's good," I respond. "Isn't it?"

She shakes her head. "I caught him screwing another officer today, Bells," she says. "And when I confronted him, he said that he got bored with me so he needed a change of scenery."

"Fucking jerk," I curse him under my breath before running my hand through her hair. "Lee, listen to me, you are a strong, independent woman. You don't need a man to complete you. You're better off without him."

"But ..." She moves away to look at me.

"But what, honey?" I ask soothingly, feeling rather proud of myself for quoting that line from a book I read recently.

Her lower lip trembles, and I fear that she'll say something like she's in love with that jerkface. However, I could not have been prepared for the words that leave her mouth. "But how will I get laid now with my work schedule?"

Letting my forehead fall on my palm, I mumble, "Rose. We need Rose."

* * *

"She's having a meltdown because of that dick?"

I shush Rosalie and nod. "The meltdown is because of _his_ dick," I answer. "And also he because he _is_ a dick."

She snorts at my words and point at the sad-looking heap on my couch that happens to be Leah. "That is so not right," she whispers to me. "We need to set it right."

Rolling my eyes at her, I whisper back, "Already on it. See that book in her hands?" I ask, pointing toward the book Leah has been staring at for the last fifteen minutes. "That's the most soothing book in the world. It'll calm her down."

Rosalie looks like she wants to bang her head on the wall as she shakes her head at me. "She doesn't need prudish shit. She needs booze and dudes."

Blinking at her, I ask, "What do you mean?"

With a grin, she answers back, "Suit up, baby girl. We're going clubbing tonight."

And that's how my perfectly planned Friday night starts to spin out of its axis.

* * *

 **A/N: In case you were wondering, the book in her hands was Sense and Sensibility. It's a great book. :)**

 **Thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review?**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **On a side note, Grant Me A Smile has been nominated for All Time Favorite Fanfic and yours truly has been nominated for Favorite Veteran Author (How? I have no idea. I'm still in shock over this one.) in the Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards. I'd like to thank whoever took their time to nominate me. Thank you. It's an honor to know that someone considers me worthy of this honor.**

 **Check out the nominations for the awards in the following link:**

 **fanatic () fanfics () awards. () blogspot. () com (Remove the parenthesis and spaces before you hit go)**

 **I'll see you next week. Have a great weekend. :)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	3. Chapter-3: Alas, My Glass Slippers!

**A/N: Welcome back to the land of crazies. Sorry I'm a day late. I've been having internet troubles all day Friday. But I hope you will be** _ **charmed**_ **after reading this. ;)**

 **IpsitaC77 Apu, I love you.**

 **Now let's get clubbing. ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter-3: Alas My Glass Slippers!**

* * *

"Woohoo! Rosie, I love you, girl. And Bells too. I love you both, chickas."

I grimace at my sister's obvious intoxicated blabbering as she attempts to hug both me and Rosalie, but ends up putting us in a headlock instead.

"Lee, it's enough," I say over the pounding music. "We should head home now."

Rosalie extricates herself from Leah's hug and shakes her head at me. "Oh come on, Bella, live a little. Live and let live is your favorite philosophy, right? So, follow it."

I glare at Rosalie over Leah head. "This was a stupid idea. We should've let her stay in with a pound of ben and jerry's. She's a police officer for fuck's sake, Rose. This is ridiculous."

"I wanna dance," Leah suddenly states with no preamble. Pointing toward the dance floor, she says, "That looks like fun."

I follow her eyes and see a bunch of sweaty bodies writhing against each other. _What's so fun about that?_ I wonder.

"That's a great idea, Leah," Rose pipes up before I can say anything but thankfully hands her the glass of water I ordered for her. "Finish this and we'll go dancing."

Leah eyes the glass suspiciously before turning her eyes on me. "You will go too, right, Bells?"

And because I'm a sucker for my sister's pout, I nod. "Sure, Lee. I'm gonna be right with you."

She smiles then and chugs down the whole glass of water before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the dance floor with her.

 _God, help me._

* * *

If you think that being squashed by sweaty strangers from all around you sounds exciting, think again. It's stinky and frankly disgusting to feel people you don't know rub up against you.

That's the concept I try explaining to Rosalie as she dances beside me like she's been dancing all her life; which being a dance teacher in school, she probably has.

"All I'm saying is this is not relaxing," I practically yell over the music. "Leah needs to relax."

"No!" she yells back. "She needs to have fun and forget about that prick." Then she pinches my cheek and adds, "And you need to start living, Bella."

Without letting me reply, she takes Leah's hand and makes her twirl, both of them giggling like the drunk cousins they are.

"Yeah because dry humping strangers is supposed to make me feel alive," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I watch them move away from where I stand, trying to avoid all bodily contact from my surroundings.

That's when I feel a hand on my waist, and a voice slurs into my ear, "No, but taking a ride on this joystick will make you alive, sweetheart."

I feel bile rise up to my throat at those words and turn around to face my assailant. When I see the fat, balding, middle-aged man grinning disgustingly at me, I throw up in my mouth a little. Shimmying out of his arms, I say politely, "That's very inappropriate of you, sir."

"Oh come now, honey, you know you want it," he says with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he reaches for me with a meaty hand again while cupping his junk with the other one.

I start to back away from him, my eyes searching for Rosalie and Leah. I find that they've moved further away and are now happily dancing with two guys.

 _Great, I am the one who gets stuck with the creep._

* * *

As the weirdo before me takes a step toward me, I take one back and then feel my back hit someone.

 _Fuck! God, please don't let it be another creep,_ I send a quick prayer upstairs.

And that's when the someone behind me speaks up. "I think the lady doesn't want to dance with you."

It's a man's voice. It's quiet but sharp and slices right through all the hubbub going around us.

The creep in front of me opens his mouth probably to say something trashy but then his eyes take in whoever is standing behind me and he nods before scrambling away.

"Wow. Thanks," I say with sigh of relief as I start to walk away without a backward glance.

A hand wraps around my wrist stopping me, and then it tugs on me. And I'm right back where I was with my back pressed against the chest of my knight in shining armor.

"What are you doing?" I hate that my voice cracks a little as I ask him.

I feel his lips brush the outer shell of my ear as he asks back in that quiet voice, "May I have one dance please?"

Suddenly, it feels like the temperature has gone up in the room and all I can say in return is, "Just because you said please."

A soft chuckle is all the response I get before feeling the hand leave my wrist only to have both of his hands on either sides of my hips.

As if on cue, a slow song comes on with a sensual tempo. I feel him step a little closer as he pulls me back toward him.

Then we're moving to the music. I don't remember ever dancing like this. Hell, I didn't even know dancing could be so … _sexy_. But he makes my body move in ways I never imagined.

I feel his lips press against my hair as he lets one hand slip from my hip and rests it on my stomach, keeping us moving in time with the music. A soft moan escapes me at the feeling of his touch against my skin even through the fabric of my dress.

"Turn around," he whispers in my ear, and suddenly I'm afraid. I'm afraid of my Prince Charming turning out to be an Ogre, but I can't resist his voice.

Slowly, I turn around, letting his wrap my arms around his neck. And I feel my breath catch in my throat.

As I take in those intense green eyes and that perfect jawline, I'm sure of one thing—my Charming is definitely no Shrek.

"Wow," I say under my breath, but somehow, he hears me, and a slow smile comes over his face. "I was going to say the same thing," he says.

I feel my breath hitch when he raises a hand to run the back of it along my cheek and asks softly, "May I steal a kiss, beautiful?"

I pretty much melt in his arms as I sigh and pucker my lips up at him.

And then, out of nowhere, a big beefy guy I saw dancing with Rosalie descends upon us and grabs Charming's arm. "Edward, we gotta go. Now!" he yells over the music and starts pulling my Prince Charming away from me.

As I stare at his fleeting figure, I feel like Cinderella. But alas! My Prince Charming didn't even get my glass slippers.

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **I just want to point out for clarification purposes that this is not a drabble fic. The chapter length will be low, but 1k-1.5k in most cases.**

 **Also, my attempt at angst and cheating fic, You, Forever has been nominated for the top ten completed fics of March along with a lot of great fics. Be sure to check out the list in the link below and support your favorite. :)**

 _ **() (/) category (/) top-ten-fics (/) top-ten-completed-fics-mar-2016**_

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Have a great weekend.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	4. Chapter-4: My Charming Stalker

**A/N: Hi guys! Hope you haven't gotten the pitchforks out for Emmett yet. Let him redeem himself. :)**

 **And IpsitaC77 apu, this chapter is how I imagine MY favorite teacher in class. Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter-4: My Charming Stalker**

* * *

"I hate that jerkface," Leah grumbles as she walks into the kitchen.

"You should. He _is_ a jerkface," I say a little more sunnily than I probably should, but I'm still on a high from last night's dance.

A dance with my Prince Charming.

A dreamy sigh leaves me. _A charming encounter._

I find myself smiling at the wordplay in my head until …

"Are you on drugs?"

"What?" I'm dumbfounded by Leah's question. "Why would you even think that?"

With a shrug, she answers, "You look like a meth-head right now with that dopey grin on your face."

Okay, so maybe the enchanted princess look works better on Disney's world that on Bella's world.

Putting on my best offended face, I say, "See that's the problem with being a cop working on narcotics. You always think everyone's on drugs." When she looks unimpressed, I add, "I happen to be a very well-respected teacher at the high school. So I'll thank you for not calling me a meth-head again."

She opens her mouth to contradict me, but then stops and runs toward the sink. After emptying the contents of her gut, thanks to the massive hangover she woke up with, she rinses her mouth with water and groans. "I hate that jerkface."

 _Yep, that's better. It's all Jacob the jerkface's fault anyway._

* * *

"Ms. Swan?"

I look up to find Jeremy, one of my students, standing in front of me with a smile on his face. I take a quick peek at the watch and note that it's fifteen minutes before class is supposed to start. _Maybe the kid needs help with his studies_ , I think and offer him a friendly smile.

"Hi, Jeremy, how was your weekend?" I ask pleasantly because that's how we're supposed to treat high schoolers, pleasant but stern when necessary.

His smile widens. "Oh, it was dope!"

I blink at his answer, not really sure if a weekend being "dope" is good or bad. Giving him a noncommittal nod, I ask again, "So what can I help you with?"

He looks down at the floor and shuffles his feet a little, seeming nervous. "Well ..." he trails off.

"Yes?" I'm nothing if not encouraging my students to be open with me.

"You look very pretty today," he says hesitantly.

 _Oh!_ I feel a blush coloring my cheeks at his words. _Okay, that was a bit more open than I was expecting._

I try to be all gracious and start to say thanks when he blurts out, "I need you to change my grade."

Ah! There it was. The true reason any high school boy will compliment their twenty seven year old Chemistry teacher.

"What?" I ask, pretending to be shocked because they shouldn't know we're always one up on them.

"Please, Ms. Swan," he looks down, biting his lip and shit. "If I fail Chemistry, I won't be able to get into good colleges."

I feel like snorting at his over-the-top acting. Because trust me if it was a girl, I'd probably believe that she was concerned about her grades.

But not in this case.

Not when the boy standing in front of me was caught peeing outside the door of the Principal's office and didn't even appear for the test in question.

"Jeremy, honey," I say, taking off my glasses for impact and smiling at him. When he smiles back, looking hopeful, I continue, "I won't change your grades. The best I can do is reschedule another test for you ..." His smiles slips before reappearing again.

 _Oh no, you little sneak! I'm not that easy._

"... on a completely _different_ question paper," I continue, disregarding the hurt look on his face. "And please, if you think flattery will help you get away with flunking in my class, I suggest you think again," I finish with a smile just as the bell rings. "I suggest you grab a seat now."

The sight of him shooting daggers at me makes me sigh.

 _I'm doing this for you, flunker_ , I think sadly before putting on my glasses and greeting my students as they come to the class.

Ah! The life of a high school teacher; never a boring moment.

* * *

Some time later, I find myself humming softly as I unwrap my chicken sandwich, and that's when Rosalie comes to find me in the teacher's lounge.

"You have a visitor, Bella," she says in a way of greeting.

I look behind her and frown at the empty hallway. "Where's my visitor?"

"I left him outside, waiting."

I feel my heartbeat quicken. It's a _he_? _Oh shit! Maybe my Charming did find his way back to me._

The goofy grin on my face probably tips her off where my mind might have taken a turn, and she shakes her head at me. "Girl, if you liked that guy, you should've given him your number."

"But what if he turns out to be a stalker?" I ask.

"He is."

Her answer makes my eyes bug out and she laughs. "Relax. The "visitor" is actually for me, but he has a message for you … from your stalker."

I'm about let out a sad sigh when it suddenly clicks in my head. "Shit! He is a stalker. How else will he know who I am? I never gave him my name. Shit! Shit! Shit!"

She actually shushes me before saying, "Overreact much? I gave my one my number before he left."

"And your one knows my one?" I ask carefully.

"Uh-huh," she responds. "Now come on. Let's go and get you your one."

* * *

For the next couple of minutes, I'm subjected to social conduct by greeting Rosalie's one, Emmett McCarty.

Even though he's this funny guy with a dimpled smile that completely contradicts his big beefy built, I can't help but think of Charming more sexy.

After the pleasantries, Emmett holds out a piece of paper to me and says, "Edward asked me if I could give this to you. So here you go, Miss Bella."

I take the paper from him with a polite smile and wait for him to say goodbye before rushing off to find an empty classroom to squeal like a little girl.

Once I am alone and safely hidden in my classroom, I unfold the paper and let my eyes devour the words written in perfect script.

 _Hey Beautiful,_

 _I'm sorry for having to leave so early that night. I would like to get a chance to take you to dinner tonight … to get to know your name … and perhaps get to earn that kiss from you._

 _So would you like to go to dinner with me tonight, beautiful? I'm adding my number here so that you can let me know._

 _Edward Cullen._

After finishing reading, I let out a sigh, glad that I wore my unflattering panties today because that man totally set them on flames.

* * *

 **A/N: See? Emmett isn't that bad. Now anyone who's interested in licking him … *winks at Taylor9901* have at him. ;)**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **In case you haven't noticed, I added a little teaser on Grant Me A Smile. Check it out if you want to. :)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Have a great weekend.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	5. Chapter-5: The Smartass & The Sap

**A/N: Hi, guy! *Waves* Sorry I'm late. I've been having terrible internet issues for the last three days. I promise I'm going to get to the reviews soon. I do read and love each of your lovely reviews. Thank you for the support you've shown this story. :***

 **IpsitaC77 apu, enjoy your pressie. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-5: The Smartass & The Sap**

* * *

"Could you _be_ more self-absorbed?"

Leah's question makes me stop in mid-sentence as I look at her in shock. "I've _never,_ in all my twenty seven years of life, been accused of being self-absorbed!" I reply dramatically, pretending to be offended.

She snorts at my overly dramatic ways and says, "Maybe you haven't, but you need to shut up about your boy toy already."

"He's _not_ a boy toy," I gasp, placing a hand over my heart, just to piss her off. _Besides, he's my Prince Charming,_ I thought to myself. _Although, I wouldn't mind_ playing _with him._

Yes, I truly had the mind of a teenager. But then again, you are who you teach.

My face must have betrayed me because Leah's eyes narrow at me. "You're thinking about his dick, aren't you?"

I scoff at her. "Not everyone is interested in rainbow dicks, sis," I say haughtily.

"Christ!" I hear her mutter. "If you're like this now, I don't know how you will be after the date. You might actually start farting rainbows."

Scrunching up my nose at the thought, I say, "Nope, not my scenario. Sorry." Then in a softer tone, I add, "I'm sorry, Lee, I just couldn't hold it inside me. I just had to share this with you. You know how much I love you."

My sweet angelic smile works on her and she smiles back. "I know, Bells. I love you too, and I'm glad you have a date in fucking forever, but hearing about a simple text message has its limits."

Her words of honesty makes me grimace as I remember throwing on a pair of sweats, getting a sandwich and parking my ass on the couch before pulling out his letter when I got home from school.

~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~

As I look at his handwritten words, I debate whether to call him or not. However seeing that I didn't know what he did, I don't want to disturb his work day. So text it is.

Pulling up a blank text, I quickly write:

 _ **Hi Mr. Cullen, this is Isabella Swan. I met your friend, Emmett today, and he gave me your note.**_

 _Simple and innocuous, giving him a chance to back off if he wants to_ , I say to myself and hit the send button before I could chicken out.

Barely a minute later, my phone chimes with an incoming text.

 _ **Ms. Swan, I was hoping for an answer to my question. I'd like for a chance to make your formal acquaintance. ~E**_

I cannot stop myself from replying with something a little less formal.

 _ **Acquaintance? Do you ask every woman you want to be acquainted with out on dates? ~B**_

When his reply comes, I'm enjoying our wordplay way too much.

 _ **Not particularly. You see, I don't want to make many acquaintances. ~E**_

My response is just as quick as his.

 _ **So I should consider myself lucky? ~B**_

His next message makes me picture him staring at his cell phone in frustration, his bright green eyes shining just a little. And cue the panty melting.

 _ **No, I am the lucky one who got to hold you in my arms and I ache to do so again. Let me take you to dinner, beautiful girl, please. ~E**_

I remember his whispered _please_ from our first meeting and reply accordingly.

 _ **Just because you said please. ~B**_

I can only imagine how handsome he must look like when he smiles at my message.

 _ **Thank you. Does seven tonight work for you? ~E**_

My answer is quick.

 _ **Seven is perfect. ~B**_

I add my address for him in the end before hitting send.

 _ **I will see you tonight then, beautiful. ~E**_

Setting the phone down, I let out a _very girly_ scream because meeting your personal Prince Charming will do that to you.

~*~*~*End of Flashback*~*~*~

"You are a goner!" Leah's statement makes me come out of my thoughts.

"What do you mean?" I ask, frowning.

She points to my face. "That."

I reach up to rub my cheek, thinking I have dirt on my face or something. "What?"

"You're happy, Bells. It's been some time since I saw you this excited about a boy." She offers me a sad smile. "Just don't put him on a pedestal yet, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

The way her lips tremble tells me how deeply Jacob the Jerface's betrayal has hurt her. "Don't get too deep just yet, sis," she whispers. "It will hurt a lot more if he breaks the persona you have perceived of him."

I can't help but pull her into a hug. "Oh Lee!" I whisper back, running my hand through her hair to calm her down. "I truly hate that dickwad for hurting you."

"Yeah, you and me both," she says. She's silent for a moment before slapping on my shoulder and says, "Now go and get ready for your hot date night."

Laughing with her, I get up and head off toward my bedroom, but not before making sure she doesn't have tears in her eyes.

* * *

Rose tilts her head to the side and looks at me, using her hand to move my head from side to side. "You're missing something," she says so softly that I wonder if she's talking to me or herself.

Looking down at my halter neck navy blue dress, I ask, "What?"

"I don't know …" she answers, scratching her chin as she reaches out one hand to pull my hair up in a ponytail, but then lets it go. "No, that's not it."

"How about this?" Leah's voice makes us both look at the side as she holds out a silver necklace with a blue butterfly pendant on it.

"That's perfect!"

"Absolutely not!"

Rosalie and I speak out at the same time. When they both turn their eyes on me, I look back at Leah and say, "Lee, this belonged to Sue. It's yours. I can't wear it."

Her mouth quirks up on one side. "I'm not giving it to you eternally, you dolt," she replies, poking her tongue out at me. "Besides, I sort of lucked out with the sister she chose for me. So even if you wanted it for always, I'd give it to you in a heartbeat."

Without words, I pull her in a hug with whispered words of love and gratitude. Of course Rose has to break the moment with a push between us. "Enough of the sappy, you two," she says holding us arms apart. "I swear you two are more like an old married couple—at each other's throats in one minute and trying to drown each other in tears the next."

She waits till we both have smiles on our faces before turning to Leah. "Now Leah, stop being so sappy and be the iron woman I love, yeah?"

When Leah nods, she turns to me. "And you," she says, pointing a finger at me. "You, blinky, have aged me a whole month with your blinking when I tried to do your eyes. So don't you dare cry and ruin that make up, missy. You hear me?"

Just to piss her off, I blink my eyes and then give her a mock salute. "Aye, aye, drill Sergeant Hale."

The ringing of the doorbell is all that saves me from her wrath as she puts the necklace on me and walks out of the room, muttering about smartasses and sappy bitches.

* * *

 **A/N: So thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **If you are a fan of TVD, go and check out my new fic, A Matter of Life & Death. It's going to be updated daily. :)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Have a great weekend.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	6. Chapter-6: Bookworms & Chipped Cups

**A/N: Sorry! My internet has been playing peek-a-boo with me lately. So sorry for late update, but I hope this long ass chapter makes up for it.**

 **IpsitaC77 apu, I love you. :***

* * *

 **Chapter-6: Bookworms & Chipped Cups**

* * *

Do you know how in fairy tales everything seems to be magical?

Have you ever had a friend or colleague sigh about a man because he's just dreamy and secretly wished you could duct tape their mouths to shut them up?

I have read enough books and have suffered through enough of Leah's heartbreaks to have experienced both. However, until now, I never had been on the other side of the tales. If there was one man who could be labeled as dreamy, it has to be Edward Cullen.

Why, you ask?

Let me tell you how he picked me up for our date then. He arrived on my doorstep, promptly at seven; he had a charming smile on his face and a bouquet of daisies tied neatly with a violet ribbon in his hands. As if that wasn't enough to sweep me off my feet, he actually picked up my hand and kissed the back of it, letting his breath fan over my skin.

So yes, to put that he swept me off of my feet with that will be putting it mildly.

He's very polite in greeting both my sister and my cousin before guiding me toward his midnight blue volvo. That's when I realize that he is a total catch. I mean how many guys can you find who picks safety over chick-magnet sports cars?

Once we are on our way, he says, keeping his eyes on the road, "Isabella, thank you."

"For what?" I ask, fidgeting with the sleeve of my jacket.

"For allowing me to take you out tonight," he responds. After a moment of silence, he adds, "I owe you an apology for my abrupt departure that night."

Nodding my head a little, I ask the first thing that came to my mind. "Who's Emmett?"

"Emmett's my right hand man. He's also my best friend, actually," he answers, shifting the gear and drawing my gaze to those long fingers of his. "He was smarter than I was at the club. He had asked for your friend's number before getting lost in his head, unlike me. You have that effect on me."

What? I made him lose his head? Cue the self-fanning. At least I'm not the only one losing my mind over this … whatever this is.

"So how did you find me?" I ask, not letting him know that I'm already over my head in this too.

His lips quirk upward a little, giving his smile a crooked quality. "Emmett called Rosalie and asked about you, on my request."

"Oh."

Stopping at a red light, he turns to face me. "Are you wondering why I didn't go looking for you myself?"

In the dim light coming from the street light, I feel my breath catch in my throat at the sight of his handsome face in such close proximity. "Yes," I respond, blinking like a moron. "Something like that."

He laughs then, shrugging one shoulder as he turns back to the road. "I wanted to give you a choice, Isabella," he replies. "I wouldn't ever impose on you if you didn't wish it."

I want to throw my arms around him and inhale the scent of his cologne like a hussy and scream that I totally want him to impose on me. But if I've learned anything from my vast bookish knowledge, it's that you should have your propriety before anything else.

So like the proper lady I am, I nod meekly and say, "Thank you for giving me the choice."

"You're very welcome," he says with a smile, lifting my hand and placing a kiss on the inside of my wrist before turning off the engine. "We're here."

* * *

Walking to the entrance of the restaurant, he takes my hand in his, giving it a little squeeze and making my heart jump a little in my chest.

Service is swift. He doesn't have to say anything to the hostess. One look at him, she leads us toward the dining area. And then, I feel my feet stop, not expecting the sight before me.

Edward must notice my sudden immobility because he moves from my side to stand in front of me, his face apologetic. "Isabella, I'm so sorry," he says sincerely. "I should've asked if you liked Italian or not before bringing you here. We can go somewhere else if you want."

"Edward!" Now it's my turn to tug on his hand. "I love Italian. I just didn't expect … this," I say, gesturing toward the row upon rows of empty tables.

"Oh!" He looks like he's finally realizing what has my jaw hitting the floor as he grins and says, "I booked the whole restaurant tonight."

"Okay ..." I blink, not sure what to say to that before blurting out, "Why?"

He shrugs. "I didn't feel like sharing you with anyone else." And … cue the swoon. As if that wasn't enough, he adds, "I'm a very possessive man, Isabella." Those words, said in that velvety soft voice of his in the dimmed light of the restaurant has a very bad effect on my panties. All I manage to do is stifle a sigh and smile at him. "I'm a very independent woman, Edward."

His lips quirk upwards. "I saw that that night," he says. "You looked like you were planning to gouge the eyes of that guy. It was very admirable."

I'm still laughing at his interpretation of my inner rambo that night when he pulls my chair out for me. After he's seated across from me, I admit, "I was trying to remember all the things my dad had taught me about self defense. But I wasn't going to get my hands dirty by gouging his eyes; I was aiming for a nut-punch."

That makes him burst into a hearty laughter, and of course I'm momentarily astounded by the sheer beauty of this man.

Once the server brings us our appetizers and leaves us alone, I say, "You know, I don't know a lot about you. Unlike you, I don't have a friend stalking you to find you for me"

He chuckles. "I thought you wouldn't mind that since you decided to give me a chance to get to know you."

"But I want to know you too."

My words make him reach for my hand from across the table and he squeezes it lightly. "Fair enough. What do you want to know?"

As the food flows so does our conversation. I learn that he's a businessman; he has a loving family and that his little sister is tired of his sloppiness and that he loves music. In return, I tell him about Leah and Rose, about how my dad is the retired chief of police in the little town in the middle of nowhere where I grew up and is now married to Leah's mother. I tell him that I love to read. That steers us toward the world of literature, and for the first time in my life, I feel connected to someone when he shares his own views on literature.

When dessert is cleared away, he orders coffee for us, seeing that it's a school night and we have to work in the morning. In the lull of our conversation, I ask, "What do you work on?"

"Restaurants," he answers before sending a wink in my way. "Although, I can't really cook. All I can work with are microwavable packets."

I stop mid-laugh as something dawns on me. "Restaurants, you say? This isn't ..."

He nods in answer before I can finish my question. "Yes, ma'am. This is a humble establishment owned by yours truly." His words and the way he said them makes me smile. No wonder the hostess knew him.

You know how they say about things putting a damper to the mood when everything is running smoothly? For us, that happens when the server accidentally spills a little coffee from the cup while placing it in front of me, making the cup clink on the table rather loudly.

Edward throws a murderous glare at the man who was serving us and tells him to get the cups changed for us. In an attempt to save the mood, I hold a hand out to him and touch the back of his hand. "Edward, it's fine. Honestly, the cup's still full."

"But the cup must be broken," he says with a frown.

I raise the cup to eye level for inspection and notice the rim has been a little chipped by the drop. I smile at Edward, hoping to salvage our night. "It's a little chip," I tell him. "Like in Beauty and The Beast."

I'm not sure but I see something flicker in his eyes before his lips stretch into a smile. "You love the fairy tales, Isabella?"

"They're classics," I say, putting my nose up in the air in an aristocratic manner. That makes him laugh, and suddenly everything is right again.

* * *

"Thank you," he says as he opens my door for me and stands back to let me out of the car.

"What for?" I ask, stepping out.

"For giving me a chance to know you, beautiful Isabella."

His words warm me in a way no one's ever had before and I find myself blushing as I reply, "Call me Bella; my friends call me that."

"Beautiful Bella," he says, his voice practically caressing my name. "I like it, but you see, Bella, I don't want to be your friend."

"Oh!" To say that I'm a little heartbroken will be an understatement.

He raises his hand and runs the back of it along my cheek before whispering, "Friends aren't supposed to kiss, are they?"

I feel myself shaking my head as I look back into his brilliantly green eyes.

"And I really really want to kiss you, my beautiful Bella." Something like a low whimper sounds around us before I realize it's me. Whether I'm whimpering because the temperature around me has suddenly skyrocketed or because I desperately want to feel his lips pressed against mine, I have no idea. All I know is when he steps closer to me so that I'm trapped between his body and the car, I feel like I don't want to be anywhere else.

"May I kiss you, beautiful?" he asks, letting his lips almost brush mine from our close proximity.

"Please." My answer is a choked sound that triggers something in him. Suddenly, he's everywhere. His hands cupping my face, his hips keeping me hostage and his lips … fuck! His lips are kissing mine, sucking on them gently as he tilts my head to meet his lips just like he wants me to.

I don't know how it happens, but I feel his soft hair between my fingers and I try to pull him closer, to keep him there with me forever. The way his hand traces my jaw before settling on my waist tells me he doesn't want to let go of me either.

But alas! The laws of biology don't care about searing touches or blistering kisses. Soon we find ourselves fighting for breath. However, even when we reluctantly pull our lips apart, he doesn't stop raining his kisses on me. His lips caress my cheeks, my eyelids before descending on my lips for a brief sweet kiss.

"Wow," I finally whisper, making him laugh.

"My feelings exactly," he says with a cheeky grin. "You should go inside."

I nod slowly, really not wanting for this moment to end.

He places a tender kiss on my forehead and says, "Goodnight, beautiful. I'll see you soon."

One last glance at me and he's climbing into his car before driving off.

As I stand in the suddenly cold night, with my back resting against the front door, I find myself smiling goofily. My Charming might be a beauty to look at, but I know he'll be a beast in the sheets. And I couldn't wait until I could put that theory to test.

* * *

 **A/N: A long ass chapter to make up for the delay.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Ohh and if you're a Potterhead, you might like to check out my new Harry Potter fic, Levitate Toward You. :)**

 **And in another news in crazy town, I've started a joint venture with my fic-wifey, Shae, in form of a blog. We'll post book reviews, fanfic recs, Shae's poems, and random flashes from yours truly. If you're interested, follow us:**

 **www . scribbleralliance . wordpress . com (remove the spaces before you hit enter)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	7. Chapter-7: Beastly

**A/N: After all this time, I think we're ready to hear from someone else, don't you think? So … enjoy!**

 **And IpsitaC77, apu, if you're reading this, I hope you're enjoying this long ride with me. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-7: Beastly**

* * *

Silky shimmering brown locks of hair that feel like a waterfall when fingers run through them.

Long slender neck that beckons you to kiss it.

A tiny waist, giving a look of delicacy.

Pink lips, begging to be kissed.

Long dark eyelashes, brushing against pale cheeks with each blink.

Blood rushing to the cheeks with each blush, giving them a rosy hue.

And finally, eyes that look like two pools of molten chocolate.

All of this describes Isabella. No, Bella. Beautiful, enticing, exquisite Bella. _My_ Bella.

Closing my eyes, I try to recall every touch of her lips on mine, every tug of her fingers on my hair. Every moment spent in her presence feels like a blessing now that I am away from her.

It took all my self control to not stop her from going inside the house and taking my leave of her instead.

As with every boy in his teen years, I also had naughty teacher and sexy librarian fantasies, but unlike Emmett, I never tried to act on them and get myself into trouble by mooning the sixty year old librarian in school. No, I had taken those fantasies as just that—a fantasy. Until now.

Now, with Bella, it feels like every one of my fantasies have merged into one to create my personal siren, my beautiful Bella. I remember when I read Iliad for the first time and saw Aphrodite's beauty described in perfect script. The book had portrayed Aphrodite's golden hair as the epitome of perfection. However, now, after seeing how utterly perfect Bella's chestnut hair is I cannot fathom a more beautiful creature in my mind.

I remember how she had moaned so quietly in my mouth as she kissed me back. I feel my hands close to a fist, itching to hold her once more.

I had told her that I'll call her soon. How soon is soon though? I wonder. It's been some time since I've been on a date. I might need to brush up my dating knowledge, After all, I am dating a teacher; I shouldn't slack off on my knowledge.

I feel a smile come to my lips as I try to picture my sweet innocent-looking Isabella as a high school teacher.

In the back of my mind, I make a note to thank Emmett for taking the time to find her for me.

"So how did it go?"

 _Speak of the Devil and he shall appear._

I crank open one eye to see both Jasper and Emmett looking down at me with matching goofy grins on their faces.

"What?"

Emmett rolls his eyes at my question and says, "Not the stakeout, obviously, because we have news about that. We're asking about your date, boss."

With a jolt, I sit up, the stakeout coming to the forefront of my mind. "What happened at the stakeout?"

"It's been taken care of," Jasper Whitlock, my brother-in-law and second-in-command, says mildly.

"Casualties?" I ask, hating the question no matter how many times I've had to ask it.

"Us? Nada. For them? Three," Emmett says gleefully. "We got you a present in case your date wasn't so good."

I glower at him. "Shut up, you fucker. It was fantastic."

Emmett's eyebrow shoots upward as he asks, "Fantastic? You don't look like you've had a fantastic date."

Feeling a scowl come over my face, I ask back, "And why is that, Date Master?"

Not showing a slightest bit of apprehension at the looks I'm giving him, he points to me. "Well, for one, I can see you."

"I didn't know you had to become invisible in order to have a great date."

"I meant that you're here, boss man," he says, looking exasperated. "A fantastic date should be when you don't spend the night in a cold bed."

Looking at his stupid grin, I contemplate on whether to punch his face or not. He did find Bella for me, but he's practically asking for an ass-kicking right now.

Thankfully, Jasper interprets my expression, and placing a hand on Em's shoulder, he says, "Em, you're on thin ice man. If Ed clocks you, it'll be all on you."

Maybe Emmett is more of a masochist than I gave him credit for or maybe he's just likes spewing dumb shit at times, he has the balls to look shocked. "Clock me?" He looks at me, then at Jasper before turning back to me again. "Why will you clock me? I didn't say anything. I just meant that you should be with your Miss Bella right now."

Snorting at his failed attempt at a look of innocence, I shake my head. "Mama would be so disappointed in you, Em," I say. "I think the first thing she taught us was that nothing excuses you from being a gentleman." I stop to see them both nod at that before continuing. "So I did the gentlemanly thing. I took Isabella to dinner and then I dropped her at her house."

"You did good, Ed," Jasper says to me. "Esme will be proud."

With a noncommittal shake of my head, I turn my eyes on them, focusing on the matter at hand. "So tell me about the stake-out."

The goofy grin returns on Emmett's face in full force. "They didn't have a chance, man. We swooped in, we kicked asses and we conquered. And we brought a souvenir for you."

"What souvenir?" I ask even though my mind already knows what he must mean.

He shrugs before replying with a hint of pride, "We've got a cockroach that needs to be snuffed out at the house for you."

 _I hate this part of the job._

Distaste makes me grimace. "Which house?" I ask, hoping to buy more time to abate the aforementioned distaste.

"Brooklyn," Jasper answers.

"Alright," I say, standing up from my seat. "Let's go then."

Emmett lets out a small whoop as he gets out of the room, probably to get the cars ready.

"Edward?" Jasper calls when we're alone. "How is she?"

I don't even need to ask him what he means because the concern in his voice is indication enough for me.

For a second, I let my mind go back to the moments I had spent in presence of my beautiful Bella.

"She's good, Jas," I say with a sardonic smile. "Probably too good for me."

"I'm glad. Alice will be happy to know you've found someone good," he responds. Then with a light slap on my back, he walks out of the room.

As I pick up my gun and shove it in the back of my jeans, a sigh escapes me. When Bella had shown me the chipped cup and mentioned Beauty and the Beast, my heart had tightened. Why? Because lying through my teeth to the beauty seated across from me, I truly had felt like a beast.

"Forgive me, Bella," I say in the empty room. "I don't have the strength to resist you."

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **If you're looking for good book recs, fic recs or a quick read of flash fics, please check out the blog I've started with Shae Maen.**

 **www . scribbleralliance . wordpress . com**

 **Until next week. ;)**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	8. Chapter-8: Jill, Not Rose

**A/N: Hi, lovely people! I'm glad you all enjoyed a look into the psyche of CharmingWard.**

 **IpsitaC77, apu, I love you … a lot. :***

* * *

 **Chapter-8: Jill, Not Rose**

* * *

You know how you read or watch something romantic and imagine that one day you might have someone doing those cheesy, stupid things for you too? I didn't. I know how people always say that Titanic is the most romantic movie of our times. I have also been subjected to many therapy sessions with Dr. Ben and Dr. Jerry where Leah had proceeded to stuff her mouth with the ice creamy goodness before wishing for a Jack-kind of guy for her.

But that wasn't me. I've never cherished such foolish notions of love. In my opinion, the Jack in Titanic was fooled by a selfish girl's beauty and was possibly hypnotized to leave her to hog all the space in their makeshift raft as she watched him sink to the endless depths of the ocean. And then there's also the saying: Jack of all trades, master of none. So no, thank you. No Jack for me. I had never asked for a Jack even after watching my sister and her cousin go through boxes of kleenex while watching that movie.

However, now, after two weeks of dating Edward Cullen, I find myself having second thoughts. Why, you ask? Well, not unlike Titanic Jack, my Edward is sweet, sensitive and a perfect gentleman. I mean after that first kiss against his car, we've had a few pretty heavy kissing sessions, but he has always been respectful of me and my friends.

Before my thoughts have a chance to run wild into the still uncharted territories, I hear a loud knock on my classroom door. Looking up, I see the elderly Spanish teacher, Jessica Newton, walk in with a huge bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"Wow, Jess!" I exclaim, holding a hand over my heart. "You got me flowers? Oh honey! All you had to do was get me a year-long supply of Ferro Rochers and I'd have been happy to be your valentine."

She snorts at my teasing. "Well, you lucked out, Swan. Mike got to me first, and he seems keen on keeping me around. So tough luck, honey. Anyway ..." She drops the bouquet on my desk heavily. "It looks like you have an admirer of your own, mi amor."

For a moment, I'm shocked because I've never received any deliveries at school before. I look at the bouquet containing of various shades of blue hydrangea. Then a purple note catches my eyes, and the script in it makes me sigh. _Edward._

 _ **For my beautiful Bella. Blue is the color you wore on our first date, and I'd be honored to have you by my side tonight in blue again. Will you be my valentine, beautiful? ~ Yours E.**_

Okay, I might've swooned at that. I mean how can you _not_ swoon at such a romantic gesture? Just as I'm reaching for my phone to text him, Jessica clears her throat. When I give her a questioning look, she motions to the flowers and asks, "So do I get a hint?"

My blush must've answered louder than my silence because she smiles at me. "Oh Bella! It's so amazing to see you in love, honey!"

"Love?" I blink. "No, no, Jess. We've just started seeing each other."

She shrugs. "Well, when you know, you know. It was the same way for me and Mike. Anyway, you know what these flowers mean, don't you?" she asks.

"Hydrangea?"

With a nod, she says, "Blue hydrangea. They indicate falling in love, sweetie. I think your young man is trying to tell you something here."

 _Love?_ Edward can't possibly be in love with me yet, can he? I mean, we've only gone to two dates for crying out loud! And the second one was when I cooked for him. Isn't it too soon to be in love? My rational and hopeless romantic minds starts to contradict each other as I try to think of how I, the relationship recluse, can even imagine falling in love so soon.

Looking at the flowers again, I feel a smile come over my face. _I don't care if he's perfect like Jack. I will not let go of him. No, I'll hold on to him with all my might. I won't be a Rose._

* * *

"Please tell me you haven't booked out the entire restaurant again," I plead with him as he opens the car door for me.

With a smile that makes my heart pound a little faster, he pulls me out of the car by my hand and says, "Who said that I even own this place?"

"You don't?"

"Maybe," he replies with a grin. "However, we're not going in there." He motions to the field a little way from the restaurant. "I'm taking you there."

I follow his eyes and find a brightly lit field full of people, music and laughter. "It looks like a fair or a carnival," I say.

He nods. "I thought we could have fun tonight, but if you want something sophisticated ..." I shut him up by placing a soft kiss on his lips. "It's perfect." I mean I'll have all the junk food I can think of, hot dogs and cotton candies and Edward's hand in mine; how could it not be perfect?

* * *

I watch as he narrows his eyes, a look of utter concentration on his face. His tongue pokes out a little from the corner of his mouth as he tightens his fist and then he flings the ball in his hand hard. Three of the six empty bottles drops by the impact of the ball.

Clapping, I rub the back of his shoulders whispering words of congratulations and encouragement. He sighs and shakes his head. "Not good enough," he says, looking disappointed.

"No, you were good ..."

Before I can finish, he's already handing out another dollar bill to the teenage boy manning the booth. I watch as his face hardens and a tightness appears around his eyes as he hurls the ball forward again, this time knocking off all the bottles.

"Bull's eye!" The teen boy cheers as he reaches for the highest rack of stuffed toys.

When I look back at Edward, the hard look is gone and instead, my smiling charming man is back. He scoops me up in his arms and kisses the corner of my mouth in a victory celebration. I find myself laughing along with my goofy man. _Maybe falling in love with him won't be too hard._

* * *

A little later, I find myself clutching the stuffed minion Edward won for me as he pulls me toward a ferris wheel. He comes to an abrupt halt when we come to the ticket counter, his eyebrows pulling into a frown. "It doesn't look as good as the London Eye."

His tone of surprise makes me smile as I reach to ruffle his hair a little. "It's a small wheel, Edward. London Eye is giant compared to this, I imagine."

He grimaces a little. "Do you want to get on it?"

The disheartened look on his face makes me want to kiss the sadness away from his face. Stepping closer to him, I ask instead, "Do you?"

He shrugs. "I've never been on one of these things before. So it's not like I'll miss it. I just thought it will be something we can have as a first. I actually want to take you to the London Eye one day."

And that is all I need to hear. The next thing I know, it's me pulling him toward the line to get on the wheel. He laughs at my enthusiasm when I tug on his hand to make him sit next to me. "You like this then?" he asks.

"I like _you_ ," I answer. "And I got greedy to get something with you that nobody ever has."

Lifting my hand, he presses a kiss to my palm. "I like you too, Bella. And this," he stops to motion between us. "What we have, this is different than anything I've ever had. So you're very special to me, beautiful."

Those words, combined with the chocolate I've devoured during our date and the air ruffling his hair when we reach the top of the wheel with a sense of being in a world with no one else but us, makes me grab the back of his neck and press my lips to his.

The way he kisses me back, soft yet inviting; his tongue licking my lips, his lips sucking on mine, tells me that he feels like I do. I feel it in my heart then that Edward Cullen is well on his way of setting his headquarters in there.

* * *

Back in the land of chaotic people and crowded stalls, I walk with Edward, our arms entwined as he leads me back to the car. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, sighing in contentment when suddenly a loud sound like a car backfire comes from the darkness behind us.

"Fuck!" I hear Edward curse loudly as he pulls me into his arms as if to shield me from something and runs us toward his car.

"Edward? What …?" I don't get a chance to complete my question as he unceremoniously pushes me into the passenger seat and rushes to the driver's side.

Looking at his face, I see the hard look is back. The sound comes again and this time, I realize what it must be. A gunshot! _Crap!_

"Edward, who …? What's going on?"

He doesn't answer me as he starts the ignition and kicks the car in motion. He pulls his phone from his pocket and dials someone. "Em, they're here!" he says into the phone. "How the fuck did they know?" He listens to something Emmett says before clenching his jaw. "They came this close to hurting her. I want those fuckers, you hear me? Grab Jas and fucking get those assholes!"

Hanging up, he casts a glance at me. "I'm sorry for cursing in front of you," he says, tightening his grip on the steering wheel so that his knuckles turn white. "Bella, I'm going to drop you off to your house. Please stay in tonight. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Happen to me? What the fuck does that mean? Who were those men? Several questions run through my head as he drives us back to my place, but the shock of being shot at must have numbed me because I can't find the voice to ask those questions out loud.

When he pulls into the driveway, he walks me back to the front door and waits for me to fish out my keys. Once he sees my shaking hand twisting the doorknob to open it, he leans forward and presses a hard kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry," he whispers before rushing back to his car.

As I stand with the minion clutched to my chest, I feel tears running down my cheeks. Am I going to be Jill then? Will I be tumbling down with my Jack? And most importantly, who is Edward Cullen?

* * *

 **A/N: To those of you who thought it will be a cougar teacherElla fic, I'm sorry, but that's not the way I swing. I do hope you'll give this fic a chance though. We** _ **are,**_ **after all, just getting started.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	9. Chapter-9: The Pied Piper

**A/N: Sorry, I'm late. I has taken to a historical land on a journey called Bewitched for a few days. ;)**

 **Please note that I've changed the genre of this story to Drama because that seemed more appropriate now.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter-9: The Pied Piper**

* * *

Have you seen in those stupid girly chick flicks where the girl with a broken heart mopes around the place; sitting in darkness and blasting out angsty chick-music? Yeah, I'm not that girl.

I haven't been heartbroken before, but I've always thought that I'd be more in control of myself. Apparently, I was wrong.

After the night out with Edward, I didn't mope or eat my heartache through ice cream or bitch about the injustice of Edward being a potential criminal. No, I had taken off my makeup, surreptitiously avoiding any and all chances of meeting my sister and gone to bed. Now, I admit some teardrops might've escaped my eyes while I waited for sleep to claim me, but come on! They're teardrops. They don't know what's logically foolish.

You know how people say that things are supposed to seem better in the morning light? Well, that's a lie. Because, in the morning, I don't feel any better. In fact, I decide to leave my cell phone behind and make my way to the school. Throughout the drive, I find my mind wandering off to agonize over the idea that my Prince Charming might actually be a criminal or worse … a sociopath. _Is he really a beast?_

In class, I find solace in my usual structured life in chemical reactions and molecular structures. I even give myself a thumbs up for successfully going back to my usual self and not letting Edward-Potentially Sociopath-Cullen to ruin my day. That is until …

"Ms. Swan? Are you okay, ma'am?"

Steering my eyes back into the class from out of the window, I find Jeremy standing at my desk.

"Jeremy!" I respond, wondering whether I creeped the poor kid out with my attempt to find a silver lining in the sky, "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

He frowns. "I asked if you were okay. You look a little … sad."

"Do I?" The rhetorical question escapes me before I can stop myself. I try to smile at him, but that only makes his eyebrows pull together. "I'm not sad, Jeremy. Why did you think otherwise?" I say, probably trying to convince him as well as myself.

He shrugs, looking down at the papers on my desk. "You haven't smiled all class today. I like it when you smile," he says at last, scratching the back of his neck in a self-conscious manner. "And just now, you sort of grimaced instead of smiling."

 _Oh God no!_ I do a mental headdesk at the thought of my teenage student developing a crush on me.

He must've seen my eyes bugging out at the thought because he starts to shake his head quickly. "No, no, Ms. Swan, it's not _that_."

 _Let's hope not._

He opens his mouth only to close it before speaking. "Ms. Swan," he stammers. "I know you think I'm a … bonehead, but I honestly look up to you as an older sister." I feel my mouth fall open by his sweet and yet shocking revelation from him. Jeremy, on the other hand, continues. "I've never had an older sister, but I imagine if I had one she'd be like you."

"Oh! Jeremy, that's so sweet," I say at last, feeling my eyes sting at the hidden sweetness in this rebellious young man. "I'm honored that you think of me so highly. Thank you."

Two pink spots appear on his cheeks. "You look better when you smile, Ms. Swan," he says before running out of the class.

I find a more genuine smile coming over my face. _Yes, this is my world_ , I tell myself. _Edward might have made things exciting, but this is comfortable, stable and above all, safe. No more thinking about that sociopath._

* * *

Two hours.

Two long hours.

That's how long my promise to not think of him lasts.

This time, the culprit happens to be none other than Rosalie Hale.

Like the hailstorm she is, she breezes through my classroom doors in between classes and greets me with a flick to my forehead.

"Ouch! Rose!"

"Hmph!" She plants herself in front of me and crosses her arms. Aiming her full on bitch-face at me, she says, "That was for scaring the crap out of me."

I lean forward and pretend to check the back of her skirts before sitting up straight. "I can't see _any_ crap out of you," I snark back at her.

Rolling her eyes, she drops her arms and places her hands on top of my desk. "This is not funny, Bella," she says seriously. "Leah said she didn't see you last night or this morning, and you haven't been answering any of our calls."

"I got home late last night," I answer slowly. "And I had a pop quiz to take this morning so I came in a little early today. As for my phone, I uh … I forgot it at home."

Her eyes narrow at me. "You forgot it?" she repeats. "So things with Edward are okay?"

And just like that, I'm reminded of him again. "Wha...what do you mean?"

"Well, when we couldn't reach you, we wondered if you were with him or something like that," she answers quietly before smiling. "Leah even swore to kick his ass to Bermuda Triangle if he hurt you."

That brings a smile on my face. "Why Bermuda of all places?"

"So you won't ever need to see his face and feel sad," she answers like it's the most logical of all things. After seeing me laugh at that, she asks, "Seriously though, Bella, you okay?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine."

 _I will be fine. How can I not be with so many people looking out for me?_

* * *

You know the story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin? Remember how the children were unable to resist his music? Turns out that when it comes to Bella Swan, Edward Cullen is the ultimate Pied Piper.

Reaching home after the long day at school and then grocery shopping, I switch on my phone because I'm not a coward. Besides, I'm not a criminal. So it's not like I need to be afraid of anyone. I keep chanting all the self invigorating things to myself as I check the messages and missed calls.

4 missed calls from Rosalie; 10 missed calls from Leah; and 47 missed calls, 18 text messages and 1 voicemail from Edward Cullen.

 _Whoa!_

Disregarding the text messages for the time being, I press to listen to the voicemail.

 _Bella … Isabella. Fuck! I don't even know if I can call you Bella anymore. I'm sorry. Fuck! I'm so sorry if I scared you. Damn it! I know I scared you. I never wanted this to happen. Believe me, please. This is fucking crazy. Sorry for swearing so much. I guess I really am a beast who dared to want a beauty for himself. Just … forgive me, please. So sorry._

That voice.

That usually beautiful, charming and smooth voice sounding scratchy and hoarse is my undoing. I feel my stupid heart break a little at the sound of obvious hurt and agony in his voice. As I look through his text messages, I realize they're all similar versions of his voicemail. All apologetic, all self-loathing, all heartbreaking.

Blinking back the tears falling from my eyes, I scroll through my list of contacts and get to his name. After a moment of hesitation, I press the call button.

 _I need answers to my questions and Edward Cullen_ will _have to give them to me._

* * *

 **A/N: So thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **I'll see you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	10. Chapter-10: Swiss Heart

**A/N: Hi! Hope everyone's doing well. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter-10: Swiss Heart**

* * *

"Talk."

One word from her seems to breathe life back into me. "Bella?" I ask, holding my phone in a tight grip as if by some miracle I'd be able to feel her through it.

She doesn't bother to use any preamble and gets right to the point instead. "You said you were sorry and that you didn't want this to happen," her voice comes through the piece of plastic in my hand. "So speak. Tell me exactly what _this_ is."

"I can't," I whisper, closing my eyes and picturing her face. "Bella, I'm sorry ..."

"Don't," she cuts off my apology. "I don't need an apology. What I need is an explanation."

I start to nod because of course she deserves an explanation. Hell, she deserves to have her life unshadowed by me. _She deserves everything that I can't give her._ "Phone lines are not really safe," I say, hoping she'll agree to meet me one more time. I'm a masochist, I know, but I couldn't resist the temptation of seeing her beautiful face one last time before I go away from her life for good.

She's quiet for a moment before answering my silent plea, "All right. Where do you want to meet then?"

"Meet me in one of my restaurants? That way you'll have your car with you in case you want to leave." The words feel like they weigh a ton as I speak, but I need her to know that she has a way out if she wants it.

"No," she says. "In somewhere neutral … where no one will know us. Someplace public."

That brings the memories of last night to the forefront of my brain, making my blood boil in anger. "The fair was public, Bella. Do you remember what happened there?"

When she responds, her voice is barely audible. "Maybe it wasn't the _place_ that was dangerous."

 _She means me!_ I realize, feeling like I've been sucker punched by those few words. _I'm the dangerous one._

"Please, I want somewhere we can talk without being afraid of who might start shooting at us."

"Where then?" I ask.

She's quiet for a moment before answering. "There's a café a block down the road from my home, . Meet me there?"

"Today?"

"Yes," she responds. "I can be there in an hour if you can."

I carefully let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Bella. I'll see you then."

* * *

Standing outside Café Grinder, I look through the window. My eyes find my Beauty immediately. Sitting alone in a corner booth, she nurses the cup in front of her. Even though her face is hidden by the book she looks to be reading, the way her shoulders slump forward tells me just how much the events of the night before must have affected her.

 _Not everyone is used to being shot at_ , I remind myself, finding another reason why I'm a bad idea for her.

When I enter the café, the tiny bell on top of the door announces my presence, making her look away from her book. I can see the exact moment she senses my presence. Her body stiffens infinitesimally, and I hate myself for bringing her such pain.

"Bella," I say her name softly when I reach her.

"Edward," she greets me, granting me only a fleeting glance before looking down at the closed cover of her book.

For the first moment since I've known her, I feel unsure about myself. "May I?" I ask, motioning to the seat opposite to her.

She nods before signaling one of the busboys to come take my order. Once I'm seated across from her with a warm cup of coffee in my hands, I speak. "Thank you for meeting with me."

She looks at me for a long moment, not responding. Then she asks quietly, "Who are you?"

Dreading her reaction to my words, I say, "I can't tell you."

I anticipated her anger and even frustration in reaction. But because she is my Bella, she catches me by surprise. Sweet sound of her laughter surrounds us, shocking me. It's only when I look at her to find her beautiful eyes brimming with unshed tears that I realize her laughter is for anything but happiness.

Once she's calmed down enough to breath, she says, "I can't tell you how many ways I've tried to justify what happened that night, but nothing seems plausible. So please, Edward, tell me. I need to know."

In silence, I shake my head, denying her what she wants and knowing in my heart that I am ruining the best thing in my life.

"You won't tell me?" she asks in a shocked hiss. "I was fucking shot at, Edward Cullen, just because I want to be with you. I think I deserve to know why."

"I'm sorry," I murmur, feeling like a broken record already with my apologies. "I can't tell you. Please, Bella. Forgive me."

"I don't want your apologies," she answers, the corners of her lips turning downward. "If you weren't going to tell me anything then why did you want to talk?"

 _Because I did want to tell you all about it_ , I want to say. _But I was reminded of the promise I made to my grandpa._ Instead of telling her the truth, I lie … again. "I needed to tell you to move on."

"What?" her breathed out question is like a suppressed roar to me. "Move on?"

Taking a deep breath, I nod. "Yes. I'm not good for you. You don't belong in my world, Bella. Life with me will not be easy. You should stay away from me while you can." I look right into her eyes as I deliver the line I had been practising to say without letting my voice betray me. "You and I should never had met."

The way her face contorts with pain is enough to bring me to my knees. For a second, I wonder if I can leave it all—my life in the family so that I can be with her. I watch as she reaches for the glass of water next to her and … _splat!_

Blinking away the water from my eyes I see a fuming Bella as she stands facing me, the now empty glass clutched tightly in her hand as she looks down at me. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" she asks through gritted teeth. "You think you can just waltz into my life whenever you want to and then push me away when you feel like it? Why the hell do you get to make all the decisions?"

"Did you really just throw water at me?" I ask dumbly.

"You need to wake the fuck up, Cullen," she says, slamming down the glass on the table. "The world doesn't revolve around you. You don't get to decide anything about my life anymore." She gathers her book and her purse, throwing down a couple dollar bills on the table. "And you know what?" she asks as she steps out of our booth. "Fuck you, Edward Cullen! You wanted me to move on? I am now. This ..." she stops to motion between us before continuing. "... is over."

Without another word to my sorry ass, she turns around and walks toward the exit. As I watch the woman who could have been _the one_ walk out of my life with water dripping from my hair, it feels like a giant Bella-shaped hole has formed in my heart, making it look like a swiss cheese.

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review?**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	11. Chapter-11: Misery Loves Company

**A/N: Hi! I'm glad to know you all loved the ballsy Bella. ;)**

 **Let's read on, shall we?**

* * *

 **Chapter-11: Misery Loves Company**

* * *

For a long moment, I sit on my bed, laying my head on top of my bended knees as I look out the window.

 _Two and a half weeks_ , I count mentally.

 _Nineteen days._

 _Nineteen days without Edward._

Outside my window no birds sing because I don't live in a fairytale and that's not how birds act. Aside from the absence of never-present chirping birds, however, the day looks exactly the same. No dark clouds overshadow the sun rays like I feel they should.

 _This is stupid and irrational_ , I remind myself. But then my eyes find the stuffed minion I slept clutched to my chest and my rational mind goes out the window.

 _Why did he have to be a criminal?_ I ask myself for what must be the thousandth time since the night of our last date.

For a moment, I curse the bright blue sky spreading the spring time joy everywhere when my life feels like it's lost the brightest point of light there was. I may even let a few teardrops escape my eyes before pushing aside the hurt that seems like a part of my life now and getting out of bed.

 _I won't let Edward Cullen make me miserable today_ , I promise myself.

* * *

I manage to keep my promise … in a way. I don't let _him_ make me miserable, but I still end up feeling shitty. _At least I'm making my own choice about being miserable_ , I console myself.

When I drive my mopey ass to the school, the announcement for an unscheduled school assembly is there to greet me. Whoever came up with the phrase ' _misery loves company'_ clearly never had to deal with a hall room filled with scrutinizing eyes of students when all one wants to do is avoid any and all human contact.

"Wow! You look like shittier than you did yesterday."

"And your greeting is sunnier than yesterday's." My response to Rose's greeting brings a little semblance to normalcy until …

"I doubt anyone so pretty can look anything but perfect."

We both turn to look at the unexpected defender of mine to find a black-haired, blue-eyed all american looking man standing there.

Rose's eyes narrow threateningly at him. "Hey, wannabe knight in harris tweed, this is my cousin I'm talking to. So why don't you beat it?"

"Now, now, Ms. Hale, that's not the way to welcome our new colleague."

A moment of stunned silence follows Principal Banner's mild chastisement. Thankfully, it's Rose who recovers first. "Co-colleague, Mr. Banner?"

Mr. Banner nods pleasantly. "He's our new math teacher, Alec Winters." Turning to Alec, he says, "Mr. Winters, follow me, please. I'd like to introduce you to the whole student body."

Mr. Winters starts to follow Mr. Banner, but then looks back and smiles. "It's nice to meet you," he says, his eyes trained on my face.

"You wish, screw boy," I hear Rose mutter from beside me.

* * *

After the assembly, like the dutiful shepherds we are, we point our students toward their classes. I make my way through the hallways, making the stragglers hurry up before the final bell. And that's when Alec Winters finds me.

"Logan," I call to one of my AP Chem students, walking up to place a hand on his shoulder. "Do you feel real at home at school?"

He looks taken aback by my question. "Uhh … I guess. I like school, Ms. Swan."

"Does it feel like _home_ to you though?" I stress.

"No ..."

Tightening my hold on his shoulder, I stage-whisper, "Then why are you doing your _home_ work at _school_ when you should be in class?"

The way his eyes bug out would've seemed comical if I had been in the mood. Instead, it makes me feel like shit. _My miserable ass is spreading the misery._ Taking in a slow breath, I attempt to smile understandingly at the boy. "Is it mathlete season already?"

A little color returns to his cheeks as he nods vigorously. "Ms. Young gave us a lot of work for the weekend, and I didn't get to finish this one essay on the history of graphic design for her computer workshop." The words come out of him like seamless waves, a nervous tick of him. "I promise I won't repeat this, Ma'am. Please don't report me to Principal Banner."

"Logan ..." I say, holding my hands up to quieten him. "I'm not going to report you to anyone. Go to your class and you can finish this during lunch break, okay?"

He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Ms. Swan. You're the best," he says with a smile before closing his locker and rushing off in the direction of Eric Yorkie's physics class.

"Impressive," a voice says from behind me, making me look back.

"Mr. Winters," I greet when I see him standing there, his back resting against one of the lockers. "I didn't see you there."

"Just Alec, please," he insists, coming to stand in front of me. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of being formally introduced yet. I'm Alec Winters, Math Geek."

I offer him a slight smile. "Well Just Alec, I'm Isabella Swan, Chemistry Chick," I respond, shaking his outstretched hand.

He laughs at that, showing a bright white smile and looking more boyish than before. "It's nice to meet you, Isabella." He pretends to look around for someone before adding, "I hope your cousin won't chew my head off for using your first name."

The twinkling light of mischief in his eyes tell me that he's joking, but my cheeks heat up anyway. "I'm sorry for that. Rose is very protective of us. She's more like an elder sister than cousin, really."

He shakes his head, waving off my apology. "It's sweet that you have someone to look out for you."

"Yeah," I say, not knowing what else to say.

An awkward pause follows as I wonder if Rose was right and he was indeed hitting on me. Thankfully, the bell rings, saving us both from the need to answer. "That's our cue," I say, taking a few steps away from him. "Welcome to Greenview High."

"Thank you, Ms. Isabella," he responds, his eyes following me until I step into my classroom.

 _Well, that was weird,_ I think, feeling like I was cheating on Edward by even allowing Alec to shake my hand. _Damn you, Cullen! Will you ever leave my head?_

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **For me, I chose Ian Harding, who plays Ezra Fitz in Pretty Little Liars, as Alec here.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Oh and to all my Muslim readers, wish you a happy, safe and prosperous Eid. Eid Mubarak. :)**

 **And to those of you who joined me on the journey with Bewitched, it's been featured on twifanfictionresblog and has been nominated for the top ten poll. So do consider voting if you enjoyed the ride with DukeWard.**

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 **.com**

 **See you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	12. Chapter-12: Helpless In Seattle

**A/N: I know you all are very unhappy with Edward at the moment, but all I ask is for you to trust me. There will be HEA in the end. :)**

 **And now, get ready for some revelations.**

* * *

 **Chapter-12: Helpless In Seattle**

* * *

Twenty days.

Four hundred and eighty hours.

Twenty eight thousand and eight hundred minutes.

That's how long it has been since I had seen my Bella … since she dumped my sorry ass in that little café.

I try to imagine her face, needing to see her smile even if it was just a figment of my imagination, but all that comes to me is that intense look of hurt on her face and the flash of anger in her eyes just before she threw that glass of water at me.

"You're lucky she didn't throw the hot coffee at you," Alice had said after I recounted that evening to her between drunken slurs. "If I had been in her place, I'd have shot your fucking head off."

 _That's what I deserve for hurting her like that_ , I tell myself now before squeezing the trigger. The way my arm jerks at the force of the bullet exiting the barrel and my muscles tense up, gives me exactly what I need—an adrenaline rush.

I aim all my shots at the target's heart, wishing it was my own. To me, the bullet-riddled heart of that target resembles my own with the holes put there by her absence in my life.

"Whoa, bossman's on fire!" I hear Emmett's voice call out from behind when I stop to reload my gun. When I don't turn around, he and Jasper come up to stand on my either sides, flanking me like always. "Nice shot, dude!" Em cheers seeing the bullet holes on my target.

I don't need to say anything before Eleazer, the security-in-charge of the armory, takes off the target to replace it with a fresh one.

"Em's right, Edward," Jasper says, handing me my magazine. "You're a great shot, but you should put on safety earpieces when you practice."

I load the magazine and then reply, "Why bother? It's not like we have a safe environment when we open fire for real."

"That's why you have soldiers, man. So _you_ don't have to ..." The rest of Emmett's words are drowned by the booming noise of gunshots as I empty the new magazine on the new target—this time aiming all my shots between its two eyes.

Once the empty chamber clicks and I push the switch to bring up the target, we all check the bulletholes. Five through the middle of the forehead and one through the left eye.

"Fuck!" I swear, slamming down my gun. "Not good enough."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jasper complains. "I know you always push yourself to be the best, but Ed, you really are the best shot among all the mob bosses I've crossed paths with and that too with a squeaky clean track record with the cops. It's your skills that have earned you the respect of your grandfather's men."

With my eyes still focused on the bullet hole in the left eye, I repeat, "Not good enough." Even as I say it, a small part of my mind wonders if I'm talking about my shooting skills or my not being able to make Bella happy.

"Emmett?" I ask, keeping my eyes averted from my friends and comrades-in-arms. "Have you talked to Rosalie lately?"

Everyday.

Every fucking day.

Every single day in the last twenty days, I have asked him the same question, my underlying plea for any news of Bella blatantly obvious even to myself.

"Um ..." he hesitates, and that one moment of hesitation is enough to set me on edge.

"What? What is it? Is she hurt? Did they find her? What is it, Emmett? Tell me!"

"Edward, I'm sure she's fine. Relax, brother." It's Jasper's quiet strength that brings my chaotic mind to rest. And that's when I realize I had grabbed two fistfuls of Emmett's shirt and shook him in my agitation.

Letting go of him, I take a step back, breathing hard to calm my frazzled nerves. "S-sorry, man," I say apologetically. "How is she?"

"She's … safe," Emmett replies. "But not very happy, I think." I must've flinched at that because he hurries to add, "I'm assuming that part though. Rosie said she never told them why you two broke up, just that you did. And that she looks sad." He says the last sentence in a barely audible whisper.

"Fuck!" I curse, hating myself for ever shadowing her doorstep for the upteenth time. "It's all my fault. I've ruined her happiness."

Jasper shakes his head. "No one's life can come to a standstill for someone else, Ed. If she's hurting, then she might've _chosen_ to let the hurt linger."

"So she can hate me for longer," I say miserably.

"No," he counters. "Maybe she wants to keep you close to herself through the hurt. Maybe that's her way of reminding herself of your existence in her life."

"But I don't want her to feel hurt ever!"

It's Emmett who finally manages to calm my anger aimed at myself. "Don't you worry, boss. Maybe this Winters guy will make her happy again."

For a moment, there's no sound in the room. Then three voices break through the silence simultaneously.

"Em! You're a dickhead!"

"Ow!"

"Who's Winters?"

Emmett massages the back of his head where Jasper just slapped him as he answers me, still glaring at Jasper. "Alec Winters. He's a new teacher. He started yesterday, and Rose said he was trying to flirt with your girl the moment their paths crossed. So maybe he can make her forget about you. That's what you want, right?"

 _What the fuck?! Who was this fucker? Did Bella like him too? Do I want her to?_

"Yeah," I say, keeping my voice void of any emotions. "Yeah, that's what I want. Anyway, she's not _my_ girl, Em. She's free to flirt with whoever she likes." After a second, I signal Eleazer to change the target again. "Why don't you two go up and get the boys to warm up in the gym? I'll finish a few more rounds and then join you."

As they start to walk away, I reach out to place a hand on my brother-in-law's shoulder. "Jazz, I want you to run a background check on this Alec Winters. I just want to make sure he's not wrong for her."

 _God! Please let him be wrong for her. So I can tear him limb from fucking limb for daring to look at_ my _girl,_ like the selfish bastard I am, I send up a quick prayer.

"Sure, boss," Jasper responds before following Emmett out to train our soldiers.

Unclipping another round of magazine from my belt, I load my gun and then aim at the black silhouette on the paper in front of me. This time wishing it was Alec fucking Winters facing me as I made his heart bleed like mine was.

* * *

 **A/N: So now you know … ;)**

 **Thank you for reading.**

 **To those of you who enjoyed Bewitched, please vote for it in the twifanfictionrecs top 10 fics poll for June. You can vote once daily.**

 **Also, Bewitched has been nominated for the yearly Fic Dive event in A Different Forest for 2016. You can vote only once. So if DukeWard and his Isabella made you smile, please vote for them. :)**

 **See you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	13. Chapter-13: Ms Moving On

**A/N: Hi, my lovelies. How are ya? I'll see you in the end with a long ass note, for now, all I ask is for you to enjoy. Happy reading. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-13: Ms. Moving On**

* * *

"Go out with me."

Without looking up from the papers spread out in front of me, I reply, "No."

"Please. One date. That's all I'm asking for."

I try to keep my head down, I really do, but maybe I'm too weak of a human being or maybe he's just that cute with the pout I know is on his lips that I look up.

And there it is. With his lower lip pushed out a little, Alec Winters looks super cute. He's just … not _him_.

One of his eyebrows go up, a hopeful look coming across his face. "Do I have a yes today?" he asks.

I sigh, shaking my head. "No, Alec. I can't. I've already told you this. All I can offer you is friendship, you know that. I've told you this every time you asked me out in the one month we've been colleagues."

His face falls, making me feel guilty … again.

"I understand," he says after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely. "I'm just not ready yet."

The smile that I've already gotten used to seeing on his face appears. "It's okay, Isabella," he tells me, his eyes looking at anywhere but me. "I know you just got out of something serious, and I've guessed that it ended badly ..." He waits for me to acknowledge his statement; when I don't respond, he continues. "The thing is, I like you. A lot. I think I had made it clear on my very first day here."

"Alec ..."

He holds a hand up to silence me. "Let me finish, please."

When I nod, he starts speaking again. "I know that I like you, Isabella, as more than a friend and colleague. And I know that if you give me the chance, I can make you happy. But you need time. I understand that. I'm not as insensible as you think I am. But I'm not someone to give up easily. I'm one stubborn jerk. So I'm willing to wait for you. However, what I need from you for now is a promise."

"Of what?" I ask slowly.

"That you won't let him hurt you anymore." His answer floors me. The last thing I expect from the super-persistent Alec Winters is this. "I want you to promise me that you'll try to move on from whoever was stupid enough to hurt you … to let you go."

Like a sandstorm, all of it comes back to me.

 _Edward's lips on mine … kissing mine … teasing mine … smiling against mine._

 _His eyes looking so deep into mine as if he could see my soul._

 _The heat of his body seeping through every nerve ending of mine the first time we danced._

 _And then … the sound of gunshots. The anger in his eyes as he drove me home._

 _The look on his face when I dumped that glass of water on him._

"Isabella?"

"Hmm?"

Alec tilts his head to look at me. His eyes boring into mine. "Your word?"

At his persistence, I give him a curt nod before looking away from him.

"Thank you."

When I look back up, I find myself alone in the teachers' lounge, feeling a mixture of guilt and loss at the thoughts of the two very different men.

* * *

"Wait, so he asked you out _again_?" Leah asks, hitting the pause button on the remote control for the third time in as many minutes.

I nod.

Scooping out a handful of popcorn from the tub sitting on my lap, Rosalie says, "Let me guess, you said no again?"

Again, I nod, starting to feel like a bobblehead Bella.

Leah punches the play button only to hit pause a few seconds later. "I don't get you, Bells."

"About?" I prompt, already knowing what's to follow.

"This Eddie boy, does he have a big dick?"

"What?" I sputter, almost choking on my tongue. "What did you just say?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying, I don't get why you're so hung up on him still," she explains. "The only thing I got hung up over Jerkface Jake was his dick and it wasn't even anything special. So ..."

I put a hand on her mouth to shut her up in fear of my ears falling off with the knowledge of Jacob Black's penile prowess or lack thereof. Once I'm sure she won't start talking again, I speak, trying to give a voice to my feelings. "It wasn't like that with … _him_ ," I say, not daring to speak his name lest the nightmares of him being killed in his line of work return. "We never did that. We just connected, you know? Like two pieces of the same puzzle."

It's Rose who breaks the silence brought on by my confession. "I know how that feels."

"About Emmett?" Leah asks.

"Yes."

I turn my head sideways to catch Rose's eyes. As if she can read the question in my eyes, she blinks once.

 _Does she know what Emmett does for a living?_ I wonder.

"Regardless," Rose says, breaking eye contact with me. "I think you should give Winters a chance."

I look at her in shock. "Since when are you in Alec Winters Fan club?"

She huffs then, slapping my thigh lightly. "Don't you dare tell him that I said this, Bells, but he seems like he might not be _that_ bad. What's the harm in going on one date? Maybe he'll be able to fix you up and remove this perpetual frown from your face."

Even though I know she's joking, I can't help but answer her. "Rose, I'm not like a broken car you can fix up. I don't know if I'm ever gonna run right."

Leah hands me my cellphone from the coffee table in front of us. "It doesn't hurt to try, sis," she says before standing up. She motions Rose to follow her as she leaves the room, probably to give me a semblance of privacy.

"Rose?" I call back when Leah is out of hearing range. "Do you know about …?"

I don't need to finish the thought before she starts to shake her head. "I just know that whatever he does, it's not very safe. Em won't tell me more than that."

"Then how can you two still be together when _he_ backed away?"

Rose walks back to me and squeezes my hand. "Em's going to leave that work, Bells. He's willing to change for me."

I can hear her unsaid words … _unlike Edward who wouldn't change for you._

As if it hadn't been broken before, I feel my stupid heart shatter in my chest once more.

When I'm all alone, I dial his number, quietly hoping I'll get his answering machine. Of course with my luck, he picks up on the first ring. "Isabella?"

With a deep breath, I ask, "Are you free on Friday night?"

* * *

 **A/N: First off, don't worry. It's an E/B fic, I promise. Just with a lot of road bumps on the way to HEA.**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review?**

 **I'd love to thank every one of you who read, reviewed, rec'd and voted for Bewitched. My little flash fic has won in the Top Ten Completed Fics for June, 2016 poll on twifanfictionrecs blog. I'm beyond honored for the love you've shown DukeWard and his HealerElla.**

 **Also, I've started posting a new short flash fic titled, Tagged. It's for my twify, Shae Maen's birthday. Do give it a read if you can. It'll be posted on Mondays and Thursdays simultaneously on ffn, TWCS, FP and our blog, ScribblerAlliance. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. :)**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you Monday with Tagged.**

 **Stay safe.**

 **Ann**


	14. Chapter-14: Green Is Where The Heart Is

**A/N: Everyone still here? I'm terribly sorry for the whacked up updating schedule. RL's just been crazy lately. I do hope you're enjoying these crazy stories of mine.**

* * *

 **Chapter-14: Green is Where The Heart Is**

* * *

"Thank you so much," he says _again_ , much to my chagrin.

I look out of the restaurant window, pretending to be interested in the city lights, but mostly to hide my irritation from him. "It's not a big deal."

"No, it is," he insists. "I thought you'd never say yes."

"Do I really give off that strong vibe of a stuck-up bitch?" I ask, frowning a little at the thought.

His eyes widen. "No, no!" he says, shaking his head vigorously. "I just meant you seemed pretty determined to not give anyone else a chance."

Forcing a smile on my face, I reach out to place a hand on top of his. "Alec," I say softly. "Look around us." I wait till he complies before continuing, "I'm with _you_ tonight, aren't I?"

His face lights up instantly with a bright smile as he flips his hand to entwine our fingers together. As if on reflex, my back stiffens. What must've been meant to be a sweet gesture feels suffocating to me, and I can't help but shake my hand out of his hold.

In the face of his questioning glance, I make an excuse of being thirsty and needing to take a drink of water.

Throughout our dinner, he keeps the conversation flowing. I try to come up with appropriate responses from time to time, all the while feeling like something is wrong.

When we're done eating and waiting for the check, Alec reaches for my hand again. This time, I force myself to keep it steady as I let him hold my hand. "Isabella?" he asks softly.

"Yes?"

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

For a moment, one whole moment, I consider telling him the truth that no, I am not; I can't enjoy myself when my stupid heart keep whispering to me that the man sitting across from me isn't the right one for me. But one look at his hopeful eyes and that boyish smile on his lips, and I find myself lying through my teeth. "Of course, I am."

His smile widens then. "Good," he says with a sigh of what appears to be relief. "I'm glad my rambling hasn't bored you out of your mind yet."

I smile back at him, shaking my head. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm in great company."

He looks down at our joined hands as he asks, "Is present company good enough for you to extend the night for a little while longer?"

He must've seen the frown on my face at his question because he hastens to explain himself. "I just don't want tonight to end, you know?" he asks, tightening his hold on my hand. "So I was hoping I could buy you a drink? There's a little bar just a few blocks down the road. Of course, we don't have to go if you don't want to. Or if you don't want to drink tonight. I think they might have mocktails too ..." He rambles on in that cute way he does, making me relax once more.

"Alec?" I call to stop him.

He stops, his shoulders drooping a little. "I get it. You probably have plans with your sister or something ..."

"Alec!" When he looks up from our hands, I say slowly, "A drink sounds lovely."

"Really?" he asks, his lips turning up into a grin once more.

* * *

"A Gin and Tonic for the handsome hunk and one Appletini for the lady." I look away from the dance floor filled with wildly flailing bodies just in time to see the forty-something bartender pinch Alec's cheek after placing our drinks before us.

"Ow!"

I can't help but laugh at the way Alec rubs his now red cheek as he glares at the bartender's retreating and slightly swaying in time with music butt. "I think she fancies you," I tease.

He scowls at me then. "Well, she better look for someone else because I'm not into older women."

"You're mean!" I say with a snicker. I find myself breathing freely again at this easy friendly banter between us.

Of course my relief is short-lived because only a few minutes pass before Alec gets down from his stool and holds his hand out to me. "Care for a dance, Ms. Swan?" he asks with a flourish.

 _Give him a chance, Bee_ , a voice sounding very much like Leah's say in my head.

Giving into it, I place my hand in his. "Why not?"

However, the moment I find myself in the circle of Alec's arms with his blue eyes looking into mine, I realize that what I'm doing is wrong.

I realize that no matter how sweet and sensitive these blue eyes might be, my heart will always yearn for those dangerously intense green ones.

I know then that despite enjoying Alec's company, he's not who I truly want.

Most importantly, the fact that I am using Alec to prove to myself that Edward Cullen isn't a part of my life anymore is very wrong of me.

As soon as the realization hits me, I stop moving and unwind my arms from around Alec's neck.

"Isabella?" he asks, his eyebrows pulling together.

Grabbing his hand, I pull him off the dance floor, needing to speak to him without any audience.

"What's wrong?" he asks again.

When we're at a relatively quiet spot, I turn to face him. "Alec ..."

I guess the expression on my face tells him all before I can speak because he sighs sadly. "You don't like me," he states instead of asking.

My heart goes out to him, but I can't lie to him anymore. "I do like you, Alec. You're a great guy ..."

"But I'm not _that_ guy," he finishes for me.

"I'm sorry," I reply then. "Hanging out with you was great, and I honestly had fun tonight … just as friends. I can't do this to you, Alec. You're a good friend, and it would be very wrong of me to try to date you just to get over him."

For a second, he doesn't speak, and when he does, the sad smile of his speaks volumes. "I get it," he says at last.

"I'm really sorry," I whisper again.

He wraps me into his arms in a warm hug then. "It's okay, Isabella. Maybe we met at the wrong time in life," he whispers back before letting me go. "And just so you know, you weren't _just_ with me tonight."

"What do you mean?" I ask, feeling confused.

He lets me go and says despondently, "He's here, can't you see? You carry him with you everywhere in your heart."

As I watch him walk away from me, I hate Edward Cullen even more than before … for ruining me for other men. But most of all, I hate myself … for not really hating Edward Cullen even after everything.

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts?**

 **Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Just a heads-up, the next update will be a short one, but an important one. So I'll try to get it to you on Friday.**

 **See you on Tagged tomorrow.**

 **Stay safe and smiling. ;)**

 **Ann**


	15. Chapter-15: Dark Horizons

**A/N: A few days later than I expected, but here you go. A mini chappie for you. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-15: Dark Horizons**

* * *

 _Unknown POV_

* * *

He feels his heart stutter as he waits and tries to think up ways to save himself from the wrath of his employer. His reprieve is short-lived though. Only a few minutes go by before a door opens behind him, making his back stiffen.

Loud footsteps sound … the owner of the feet walking a semicircle around him to finally sit down on the throne-like chair facing him. "So … you've returned," the figure asks, his face masked by the shadows.

"Yes," the man answers.

The dark figure is silent for a moment, taking a long drag from the cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth. He lets out a whiff of smoke before asking, "And? What's the news?"

Feeling like he might faint from nervousness at any moment, he answers, "Nothing as of yet, Sir. Cullen is a slippery bastard."

The man in the shadows seems to consider his response for a moment before opening the gold-rimmed cigar case sitting on top of the table before him and motioning the other man to come forward. When the man hesitates, he grumbles, "I'm not handing you a fucking lollipop, you dickhead. Come and take a cigar."

Swallowing hard, he wipes his sweaty palms on the seat of his pants and walks forward. "I'm not a fan of cigars ..." he starts to say as he reaches into the box to take one. One fluid motion is all he detects before he finds a knife impaled right in between his fingers, having missed them by a millimeter.

With a gasp, he looks up to see that the face cloaked by the darkness has moved closer to him. "Let me make this clear to you, you ratty bastard," the deep voice tells him. "I don't like greasy fuckers like you. And yet, I've decided to give you a chance. Now you say that you can't do the one thing I need from you? Kill the fucking bastard," he yells. "How hard is that to do?"

The knife is taken out from between his fingers, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief. "S-sir ..." he stammers, hurriedly. "I have a plan."

"Speak," comes the command.

He clears his throat before launching into a detailed account of his plans so that he wouldn't have to lose one of his limbs—or worse, his life—by the end of the meeting. "You see, Sir, there's this girl Cullen fancies ..."

"I'm not interested in knowing who he's screwing," the other man says in a voice as cold as steel. "All I want is Cullen in a bodybag."

"I'm getting there," he replies quickly. "I think she might be a little more than a mistress to him. He was seen out on dates with her. I feel that Isabella Swan might be the key to get to him."

"Then what's the problem? Snatch the chit."

He shakes his head. "It's a little more complicated than that. I know her. She's one stubborn bitch. It won't be easy to lure her in."

The man in the dark moves forward then, getting into his face once more. In a slow deliberate voice, he says, "I don't fucking care. Get his slut to bait the fucker."

"Yes, Sir," he responds, a plan already forming in his mind on how to take down the mighty Isabella Swan.

* * *

 **A/N: Any guesses as to their identities?**

 **Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **See you with Tagged on Thursday.**

 **Stay safe.**

 **Ann**


	16. Chapter-16: Responsibly Irresponsible

**A/N: *Peeks out from my hibernating shell* Anyone still here? I'm sorry it took so long to get this one to you. I hope you enjoy this.**

* * *

 **Chapter-16: Responsibly Irresponsible**

* * *

One minute.

Eight minutes.

Fifteen minutes twenty seconds.

One hour.

One long, excruciating hour.

That's how long passes after the disastrous end to my date with Alec before I decide to pick up my cell phone. All I have to do is find the E's on my list of contacts, and there he is—written in block letters.

 _Edward Charming._

For a moment, my finger hovers over the delete contact button, my eyes resting on the call button. As if on its own free will, my thumb moves toward the second one.

 _Call him_ , a soft voice says in my head.

 _No, don't be ridiculous. He might be busy—or worse—with a girl_ , another voice answers.

 _Nonsense. He'd love to hear from you. He must miss you like you miss him._

 _Yeah, right. You almost drowned him in water the last time you two saw each other._

 _Pfft. It was just a little water. Call him, Bella._

 _No, delete him from your phone and your life. You should move on._

"Stop! Stop! STOP!" I cry out with closed eyes, dropping my phone on my lap and slapping my hands on my ears to block out the voices.

When I open my eyes after the voices are gone, I half expect to find two Bellas standing before me—one in a flowy white sundress like a good conscience, and the other in a black leather bikini like a bad conscience—like they do in movies. Thankfully, all I'm met with is thin air. As I remove my hands from my ears, I'm greeted with blissful silence and I let out a sigh of relief. _So I'm not a complete nutcase … yet._

 _Maybe I need some company_ , I decide and stand up to go and find Leah for a late night snack hunting trip to the fridge. A soft thud near my feet makes me look down to find my phone lying there with his name still showing.

I lean down to pick it up, give the call button one last look and then throw the stupid piece of technology on my bed before walking out of the room.

* * *

It's two days after the non-date date with Alec, I find him standing outside my classroom, talking on his cellphone. I pause my lecture on Hydrogen Bonds long enough to take a look at his face. He looks surprisingly well-kept and not at all like the mess I thought my rejection had turned him into. I carefully let out a sigh of relief before going back to my lesson.

It isn't until the bell rings to signal the end of the class that I realize that he's still standing there, this time, his eyes are looking right at me. I raise my hand in a half wave before lowering it, not sure about what the protocol was in case of dealing with someone whose heart you broke.

To my surprise, instead of pulling a face at me and calling me names like I half-expected him to do, he waves back. And when I'm the only one standing in the classroom, he walks forward to knock on the window pane. "May I come in?" he asks politely, peeking his head in through the open window.

I drop the small pile of books and files from my arms at the shock of having him talk to me and nod, barely managing a small humming sound like an affirmation. He smiles a little as he mouths "Thanks" and walks in.

"Hi," I mumble quietly, not knowing what else to say.

"Hey," he responds with his familiar good-natured smile. "How have you been?"

I almost start giving him the generic answer of 'good', but then I realize that he knows how I'm a wreck lately over _he-who-shall-not-be-named_ , and instead, offer him a non-committal shrug.

"That good, huh?" he asks jokingly.

That makes me crack a smile until he speaks again. "I need your help," he says without anymore preamble. "Are you free after school this afternoon?"

 _Oh God! No! Not again!_

"Um, Alec," I start, looking away from his boyish face. "I can't, remember? We've been through this just two days ago. I'm not ready ..."

"Oh shit!" he curses, cutting me off mid-rant. "I didn't mean it like a date. I should have clarified myself. You see, I have this pesky little sister, Jane. She turns twenty two next week."

I'm taken aback by the sudden mention of his sister and more than a little mortified for jumping to conclusions. "Oh!"

He scrunches up his face and says, "Yeah, oh. And I have to buy a present for her birthday. So I need a female perspective."

I put on a brave face, letting the moment of awkwardness slip through and ask, "What does she like?"

"I don't know. Girlie stuff?"

The confused way he answers makes it sound like a question. "Will you please come help me pick out a present for her?" he requests.

For a few seconds, I'm tempted to make up an excuse and say no because I really didn't feel like hanging out with anyone but my girls. However, before I can do so, I'm reminded of how much it must have hurt him to be rejected that night and how desperate he must've been to come ask me to accompany him after what happened.

So instead of being the selfish bitch I wished I was, I find my responsible-self answer, "Sure. I'm free after school today."

It's not until he leaves after thanking me that I plop down to my chair. Hiding my face in my hands, I sigh. _The evening is going to be terrific … and awkward as hell._

* * *

 **A/N: So … thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Next update will be on next Friday.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	17. Chapter-17: Breaking News

**A/N: Who's ready for Mobward to make an appearance? ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter-17: Breaking News**

* * *

 _The rays of a fleeting sun shines over the scene as the sounds of her giggles echo in the nearly empty street. The sunlight plays with her hair, bringing out the soft red highlights in it. She holds up a bunch of freshly-plucked daisies to her nose, breathing in the sweet aroma. "I love these," she says with a smile in her plump full lips._

" _I know," a male voice answers. "Daisies are your favorite, aren't they?"_

 _I want to scream that no, my Bella said she loved hydrangea, not daisies, but no sound comes out of my mouth. Instead, I watch her nod shyly. "Yes. I love daisies." She lifts her head up to look at the dark figure standing before her, her eyes full of adoration … the same adoration I used to detect in them for me. And then she says the words that break my heart all over again. "I love them because I love_ you _."_

With a jolt, I wake up, my back ramrod straight as I sit in my lonely cold bed, breathing heavily. "Fuck … fuck … fuck ..." I curse under my breath. I reach blindly for the glass of water I know Tanya, my aged housekeeper leaves by my bedside before leaving for the night. The drink doesn't help relax my frayed nerves though.

Falling back down to the bed, I close my eyes, trying to calm myself down enough to fall back asleep. But like all the times I've had woken up to the same nightmare, sleep evades me. As if by a force of habit, I reach for my cellphone. Sliding my finger over the contacts button, I find her name— _Beautiful Bella._ It's her name that seems to calm my racing heart like always, albeit just a little.

With the memory of the nightmare alive in my mind, I realize that I'm not going to get anymore sleep that night. So like every night in the last week, I slip out of bed and head off to the in-house gym.

Ten minutes on the treadmill makes my body breakout in sweats and the adrenaline rush is what I crave. Fueled by the anger, frustration and hopelessness that surrounds me, I move onto the kickboxing area.

The sound of my fist landing on the punching bag with a loud _thwak_ makes my heart race faster. One more punch … a few good kicks and I'm in the zone. I imagine the inanimate bag facing me with the face in the photograph Jasper had shown to me a few weeks back.

 _Alec Winters._

Black-haired, blue-eyed, perfectly crisp white linen-wearing Alec _fucking_ Winters.

Alec Winters looked like the poster-child for Perfect America, and I hated his guts for that. Because in my heart, I know why Bella would even consider dating him … _Alec is everything I'm not._

Maybe I'm a masochist or maybe I'm just a glutton for torture, but my mind conjures up images Alec Winters with my Bella.

His hand holding onto hers.

His arms wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm.

His lips on hers.

His stupid black-haired head hovering over hers as he made love to her.

It's the last thought that makes my control snap. Without thinking, I start throwing punches. Kicking and punching the shit out of the punching bag. In the back of my mind, I hear a voice chanting, "She's mine. She's mine. She's mine," over and over again. I don't care about the voice though, I just keep throwing punches, Feeling like I could kill that Winters for daring to even look at Bella.

"Ed! FUCK!" It's the sound of my brother-in-law's screaming voice that breaks through my haze of pain. As I stop in mid-punch, the chanting sound stops, making me realize that the voice chanting "She's mine" was none other than _me_!

"What the hell, man?" Emmett calls out, stepping past Jasper and coming up to me. "Are you out of your mind?"

I frown. "Why?" It isn't the first time they had found me working out in the middle of the night.

Jasper walks up to stand beside Emmett and grabs onto the punching bag. "Look at this," he says in his usual quiet voice. Following his line of vision, I blink. The punching bag in front of me had holes in it, letting the stuffing show. "Look at your hands," Jasper tells me. I obey only to find my knuckles all bloodied up from punching without putting on my gear.

"Oh!" That's all I manage to say, not really feeling like myself.

"Ed," Emmett starts, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You gotta pull yourself together, man."

When I don't respond, Jasper turns to Emmett. "Tell him, Em. He needs to know why he has to get his head back into the game."

I feel my eyebrows pull together in confusion. Looking from Emmett to Jasper and then back at Emmett, I ask in a hoarse voice, "Tell me what?"

"I just got a call from Rose," Emmett says slowly, his eyes looking anywhere but at me. "About Isabella."

"What is it, Em?" I ask impatiently. "Spit it out, will ya'?"

Emmett looks at me then. With his eyes looking right at me, he says, "Isabella is missing."

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading**

 **Check out my new story, Crooked Smiles & Kiss Thieves, a counterpart to Grant Me A Smile.**

 **See you next week.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	18. Chapter-18: Breaking Point

**A/N: So sorry it took so long to get out. My muse was AWOL. Hope you enjoy this chappie.**

* * *

 **Chapter-18: Breaking Point**

* * *

Silence.

For one excruciatingly long second, nothing but silence follows Emmett's statement.

Then in a voice softer than a whisper, I ask, "What did you say?" When there's no immediate answer, I ask again, "What did you just say, Emmett?"

"Isabella ..." he says quietly. "She's missing, Edward."

"How?"

"She went to school yesterday morning and then didn't come back home. Her cell phone is switched off. Rosie said she's never done anything like this."

A number of scenarios run through my head with Bella being too busy with work and forgetting her cell phone there, but that didn't sound like my responsible girl. That meant only one thing … she truly was missing.

"Fuck!" I cry out and aim one last kick at the punching bag. Then I look at Jasper. "Get the men assembled in my office in half an hour. We've got work to do."

* * *

In the shower, I rest my forehead against the cool tiled wall and let the water hit my body. I don't feel how the waterdrops run down my back. I don't feel refreshed like I'm supposed to after the workout. No, instead, all I feel is anger … at myself. Because I should've been there to protect Bella. If I hadn't pushed her away, I would've been the one she went to home with after school. Then she wouldn't have gone missing.

It was all my fault.

Closing my eyes, I try to picture my beautiful Bella in my head with her smile playing on her lips and I make a promise to myself that I'll see that smile once more even if it was with my last breath.

* * *

In the meeting with my men, I take in each face as they trickle into my basement office at three in the morning with no traces of sleep in their eyes. These are my most loyal men and I know I can trust them to find the most precious thing in my world—my Bella.

Once they had all assembled around the table, I start speaking. "Thank you," I say, addressing the room at large. "For coming at this late hour. I apologize for rousing you from your beds so late, but we do not have a moment to lose." I stop to take a breath and then continue. "My friends, I know I need your help with something outside of our usual line of work."

There's a little murmur of confusion following my declaration but when I raise a hand, asking for quiet, silence falls immediately. I signal to Emmett to start the projector behind me, and a moment later, my girl's beautiful face appears there. Clearing my throat, I say, "This is Isabella Swan. She's a teacher in the local high school and a … friend of mine. She went to school yesterday morning and hasn't been heard from since. Her cousin and her sister think she's missing. I ..." I take a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "I think she's been kidnapped."

"Ed?" At Jasper's questioning glance I nod and then press the button to replace her photo with the other one I asked Emmett to put on there.

"This is Alec Winters," I say, pointing to the basterd's smug face. "He works with Isabella and I suspect that he's behind this. So, Crowley, you'll be taking your men and follow his every move. I want to know what his fucker eats, when he breathes and where he goes. Understood?"

Tyler Crowley nods. "You got it, Boss."

Then I turn to my best friends and loyal brothers. "Jasper, Emmett, I know you two have been trying to quit this life and I don't resent you for wanting to have a different life. But I have to ask you to help me one last time. Help me find her, please."

They both come to stand on my either sides before Emmett says, "You never had to ask, Bossman."

* * *

Eight hours and twenty minutes later, my men come back to report to me. It's Crowley who breaks the silence. "Boss, I set tails on that Winters guy. He came in late last night … or rather early this morning. He came home around five in the morning and still hasn't left. Word around the school is he's called in sick yesterday."

I frown. "That's the day after Isabella disappeared. It's too much to be a coincidence," I say. "Keep me posted on him."

Turning to Jasper, I ask, "What's the status on the background check I asked for, Jazz?"

Jasper walked forward to place a fat file in front of me before saying, "It seems like Alec Winters has been a model citizen since the past three years when he first surfaced. That file holds all the records I could find of him and the oldest one was from three years back."

"What about before that?"

He gives me a meaningful look and replies, "Apparently, Alec Winters didn't exist before three years."

Anger and something vicious like satisfaction runs through me at the news that he's not as good as he pretended to be. _I may not be good for her, but at least I'm real._

Looking at Crowley, I say the words I've been itching to say for some time now. "Bag that son of a bitch."

Once Crowley is gone with his orders, Emmett steps forward. "Edward," he says, his voice cautious suddenly. "I retraced Isabella's steps. One of the kids at school, Jeremy, said he saw her get into Alec's car after school that day. He overheard them talking about going to the mall to buy a present for his sister."

"But ..." Jasper interrupts. "Alec doesn't have a sister."

Emmett shrugs. "That's what Jeremy told me he was saying."

"Anything else?" I ask Emmett.

He nods. "I showed around Isabella's picture at the mall and the owner of a food cart outside the mall recognized her. She said that she saw someone putting Isabella into a car around seven that night and it looked like she was asleep."

I ask quietly, "Was it Alec's car?"

Emmett shakes his head. "No, Edward. It was a Cop car. A cop kidnapped Isabella."

* * *

 **A/N: Thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **A quick note of thanks to all of my readers for deeming me worthy to be nominated in the TwiFic Fandom Awards. I'm humbled by your love. Thank you. A full list of winners can be found here:**

 **twificfandomawards . blogspot . com**

 **Happy Holidays!**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


	19. Chapter-19: Man Behind The Joker Mask

**A/N: Sorry I'm a day late. But I hope this chapter will make up for it. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter-19: Man Behind The Joker Mask**

* * *

Darkness.

Pain.

Dampness.

Confusion.

These are the thoughts that cross my mind as I wake up, seemingly from a month-long sleep judging by how groggy I feel. My head feels heavy as hell … like it weighs a thousand pounds. As I slowly start to fight the haze of sleep still numbing my senses, I hear a sound nearby—the sound of a movement.

I feel someone touch my face, slapping my cheeks slightly, and then the hands move to my wrist, most likely checking for my pulse.

I decide that my best bet is to play possum and lie there before I can get an idea of my surroundings and do just that by stay still.

"Damn! What did you dowse the bitch in? She's still out cold," a voice remarks from somewhere near my head in a tone way too cheery to really be concerned about me.

"Halothane. She didn't know what hit her." A chill runs down my spine as I recognize that answering voice.

 _Alec._

"Damn, Alejandro, speak in English, will ya?" the first voice sounds slightly irritated as it admonishes the other one.

 _Who's Alejandro?_ I wonder. _How many men are here?_

As the fog clears from my brain, a nagging feeling comes to me, telling me that the first voice sounds familiar. _Where have I heard it?_

I don't have to think too hard though, Alec's answer clears it all up for me.

"That's Mr. Rizzi for you, Black," Alec bites out. "You're just a hired gun whereas my uncle owns this fucking empire. You should show me my due respect."

 _Black?_ I feel my mouth dry up at the thought. _As in Jacob Black? Leah's ex?_

Confusion colors my thoughts as I wonder what can Jacob be doing here.

"Easy, Mr. Rizzi," the voice that I now recognize as Jacob's says. I can imagine that sleazy smile on his face as he says callously, "We're all part of the empire here."

"Hmph. Anyway," Alec says after a heartbeat. "Halothane is an anesthetic. All I had to do was make her smell some of it and Little Swan Princess was going limp in my arms."

His words send a chill of remembrance through me, and suddenly it all comes back to me in a jolt.

 **~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~**

I browse through the various pieces of jewelries dangling in front of me. They are a bit garish for me, but Alec assures me his sister is a born hippy at heart. So these should work perfectly. In the back of my mind, I make a note of getting a potted plant for her out of courtesy.

An aquamarine-amethyst teardrop necklace catches my eyes and I touch it lightly with my fingertips. "What do you think, Alec …?" Turning my head to look at him, I find that I'm all alone.

"Oh shit!" I curse my absent-mindedness for not noticing when I lost Alec in the crowds. "I'll be right back," I say to the sales person and rush out of the store and into the crowded shopping mall.

I start going to the store we went to before this one and push my way through the throngs of Christmas shoppers. Craning my neck to look ahead of me, I call out, "Alec! Alec!"

Before panic can set in, I hear his voice from next to me. "I'm here, Isabella."

"You scared me!" I scold lightly as I turn to face him. Before I can say anything more, however, he places a hand holding a handkerchief over my mouth. For a moment, I wonder if he thinks I'm creating a scene or something but I can't ask him that. Because the world darkens in front of me before I can make another move. My last thought before I hit the ground is of Edward, how he would never make me shut up like Alec.

 **~*~*~*End of Flashback*~*~*~**

 _Alec did this!_ Realisation dawns on me. _He kidnapped me!_ _But why? Why me? What empire are they talking about?_

Thankfully, I get my answer as soon as the question arises in my mind because Jacob asks, "I have to ask, Mr. Rizzi, why her? She's nothing special. I know because I've known her personally."

A bark of laughter sounds, echoing all around the room. "You're so naive, Black," Alec's voice responds. "You think you know her, but you don't. Isabella Swan is not just anyone. She's _the_ one. She's the one _he_ wants."

"Are you saying that Cullen wants _her_? Why?"

At the sound of _his_ name, I feel my heart stop before starting to beat double time.

"Bingo! That bastard's crazy about his bitch," Alec's voice trembles with an undertone of anger as he bites out. "I saw how protective he was of her when we tried to off him a few months back and since then I've been jonsing for this moment … when I'll be able to make him pay for all the damage he has done to our business."

"So are we going to make a ransom call soon?" Jake asks, his voice dripping with greed.

"No, you fool!" Alec admonishes him. "There'll be no ransom. I don't want Cullen's money. I want his life. This bitch holds his heart. And now that we've got his bitch here, the dog is bound to sniff his way here. It's time for Edward Cullen to die."

His last words crush my heart as my world comes tumbling down on me. _What have I gotten into?_

* * *

 **A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Take care.**

 **Ann**


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